A Pinkie Promise
by s.Two
Summary: ‘Let’s promise each other if we don’t get married when we’re 25, we’ll marry each other’ she said. He smiled, and linked his pinkie with hers. ‘Deal’ 14 years later, 24 years old Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are single… and looking for love.
1. Prologue

So, I thought I'd give the new story a try. Welcome back to another High School Musical story by yours truly! I've mentioned the summary of the story in my last Troyella story 'One step at a time' (or also known as OSAAT by some people LOL nice job guys), and a lot of people expressed some enthusiasm in it, so I'm going to give it a shot. I'm going to leave my usual HSM updates until the next chapter, don't want to take up too many pages for the first chapter. Anyway, hope you like it!

**Story: **A Pinkie Promise

**Author: **hugsxkisses

**Summary: **'Let's promise each other if we don't get married when we're 25, we'll marry each other' she said. He smiled, and linked his pinkie with hers. 'Deal' 14 years later, 24 years old Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are single… and looking for love.

**Pairings: **Troy/Gabriella Chad/ Taylor Zeke/Sharpay **currently undecided on Kelsi, Ryan and Jason **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical 1 or 2

* * *

_Chapter 1: That's how we met_

* * *

The mid July sun hit the state of New Mexico, the many cities and towns in the state starting to heat up under the threatening glare of the sun, like Albuquerque for instance. While the sun wasn't scorching hot, and it was cool enough for young children-or teenagers-whining at their parents for the useless need of sun protection and caps, it was a relatively warm day, a perfect day for families to hit the lush green grass and set up a little family picnic. Of course that would be what Jack Bolton would love to be doing. 

But that wasn't what he was doing at the moment.

At that moment, Jack was in the hospital. Now that would be a regular occurrence to him, considering his wife worked in the hospital, and he would regularly drop by to pick her up for lunch or after work. But he wouldn't normally go to the hospital at 2 in the morning. The husband of Diane Bolton was currently in the maternity ward with his pained wife lying on the bed beside him and her hands around his in a death lock… and Jack winced.

"Diane, sweetheart, you'll be fine… can you-can you not squeeze my hand so hard," Jack winched as her nails dug into his skin. Jack soon learned that was not a smart thing to say as Diane threw him one of her deadliest looks,

"Don't you _dare_ complain while this is your _entire fault_!" she hissed as a thin layer of swear appeared on her forehead, matting her dark brown hair.

"Alright Diane, you've helped other people do it, now let's do it yourself," said the woman at the end of the bed. Jack recognized the brunette to be one of Diane's colleagues in the hospital. She worked along his wife in the maternity ward, her name was-Jack quickly stole a glance at her name tag-Rachel, yes that was it, Rachel. Diane didn't reply to her friend's attempt of soothing her, but squeezed Jack's hand again making him wince. Rachel let a quick amused smile flash past her face

"It'll be over before you know it," the doctor said. Jack wasn't sure if she said it to assure him or his wife.

-

-

A couple of hours, cramped hands, bruised wrists, pained cries, stopped circulations in a certain male's hand and a cry of a new born later-plus water works-Jack Bolton was proudly holding a small bundle of blue in his arms, his smile was so big it threatened to fall off his face, and his muscles ached from having to hold it on his face for that long. Diane had been wheeled off to get cleaned up, and Jack had released her hand after giving her a loving kiss and brushing her hair aside.

A few minutes later, Rachel gave him permission to enter the private room with added congratulations for the newest male member of the Bolton family and Jack beamed in reply. Jack quietly slipped into the dimly lit room, and smiled when he saw the faint outline of his wife's body. Holding the bundle in his arms a bit tighter, he sat on a plastic chair next to the bed, and drew his wife out from her sleep,

"How is he?" Diane asked in a tired voice, her eyes opened and her hand raised and gently brushed the blue fabric.

"He's doing great, he's sleeping," Jack grinned, Diane gingerly sat up and held her hands out,

"Let me hold him," Jack passed his newborn son into her arms, and Diane felt tears prickle down her eyes as she stared down at her little bundle of miracles.

"Jack, what are we going to name him?" Diane asked softly, brushing her finger past his delicate forehead, and she had to smile when the baby made a little twitch at the touch.

"I thought we agreed on Jonathan," Jack said and Diane looked up at him,

"I am not naming our son after a comic book character, what's wrong with Troy?"

"So I can't name him after a comic book character, but you can name him after some ancient roman city?"

"At least Troy is a real place, Jonathan's a made up super hero," Diane retorted, she added a glare that clearly said _you weren't the one who just endured hours of labour pain, _and… well how was Jack supposed to have a come back for that?

"Fine," he grumbled but added, "But his middle name's going to be Jonathan!" Diane could only smile and shake her head as her husband's sudden burst of childish behaviour and looked back lovingly at her son. She brushed her lips against her forehead and pulled back smiling. Troy Jonathan Bolton gave a tiny yawn.

* * *

**December**

Snow blanketed most of Albuquerque and many could see the sun trying to force its way out from behind stormy grey clouds and warm the lands so that the white covers would melt and display the dazzling green and reds again. Inside the hospital, a dark skin toned woman laid on the bed as labour pain shot through her body.

"Alright, we're almost there," Diane Bolton smiled glancing up at the woman. Isabella Montez-at least that's what the name was on the bulletin board-tried to give the doctor a smile, but it, came out as a wince as another contraction soared through her body. "Alright Ms Montez, give me a big push now,"

Diane loved doing her job. It was the world's most satisfying feeling when a new life came into the world, and nothing could match the glow of new parents. Now would be a great time to say that she did not regret her 7 years of gruelling studying to become a doctor. "We see her head Ms Montez!"

The nurses around her worked with fluid motion to keep the new mother comfortable. Diane was familiar with patient confidentiality, and did not bat an eyelash or make any questions when the mother came in-not with her husband-but with her brother. Diane did steal a look down at the application and saw a tiny checkmark in the 'widowed' box. All her thoughts were kicked out of her head when a burst of a baby's cry erupted in the room and her professional mind took over.

"Scissors and blankets!"

A few seconds of flurried actions later, Diane had the new born baby girl wrapped in a fuzzy pink blanket-washed and cleaned. As the nurses cleaned the surrounding areas and the mother, Diane carefully carried the fragile bundle in her arms-feeling a familiar sense of motherhood and remembering when she had carried her own new born not so long ago.

"Ms Montez, congratulation it's a beautiful girl," Diane beamed. Isabella Montez flashed a tired smile as she took her daughter in her arms,

"Hermoso…" Isabella sighed in Spanish. Isabella allowed Diane to take the baby from her as she was wheeled out to meet her brother and to receive a hospital room for her recovery.

-

-

Jack was wandering around the hospital with a nearly 5 months old Troy in his arms. Toothless and head filled with dark brown fuzzes and clad in a pair of tiny blue jeans, red flashing sneakers and a white t-shirt that said 'love my dad', Troy made delighted squeals as his dad took him on an unofficial tour of his mom's workplace. Jack and Troy stood in front of the mirror that separated the outsiders from the new born babies kept in incubators and little beds. Jack smiled, he could remember like it was yesterday when Troy was in one of those little boxes. Jack smiled and Troy squealed when Diane appeared inside the room and placing a newly made life in one of the boxes lined with pink pillows and comforters-basically meaning it was a girl. Diane shot the father and son a satisfied grin as she left to finish up some stuff. A few minutes later, Jack and Troy watched as a nurse slipped a piece of paper into the slot where the baby was and Jack caught a glimpse of her name.

_Gabriella Erin Maria Montez_

* * *

**6 years later**

"Troy Bolton slow down!"

A 5 year old with shaggy brown hair, bright blue eyes and a blue jersey and matching blue shorts darted across the living room, past the kitchen and towards the front door. Jack and Diane Bolton both showed up a few seconds later, the father holding a Superman backpack, the mother holding a Spiderman lunchbox.

" Troy you can't go to school without your bag!" Diane scolded lightly taking his backpack from her husband and putting the lunch bag in it before zipping it up again.

"Mommy hurry, the bus is gonna be here soon!" Troy whined, jumping up and down while his bright blue eyes scanned the floor for his brand new sneakers, "Mommy where's my shoes?"

" Troy you need to slow down there and breathe buddy," Jack chuckled, he passed his son and quickly mussed up his hair with his hands earning a 'daddy!' from his son before finding a small pair of white Adidas shoes from behind Jack's big ones. "I found your shoes now Troy-_Troy_ stops hopping up and down and get those on."

The energetic five year old managed to calm down enough to slip his little socks clad feet into his shoes before a screech outside the door drew his attention again. He darted to the window and saw the big yellow bus in front of his house,

"It's here!" Troy shouted, he ran to his mom gave her a quick kiss when she bent down to slip his backpack around him and gave his dad-well his dad's leg- a hug before he stood on his toes to open the door, "Bye Mommy, bye daddy, see you after school!" and he was gone, excitedly climbing up the stairs of the yellow bus. Diane sighed,

"How can he be so excited to go to school?" Diane asked, "I didn't even want him to go,"

"He's stubborn, he gets it from your side of the family," Jack smirked.

-

-

4 years old and clad in a pretty little floral dress, Gabriella Montez had her now shoulder length brown curls tied into two delicate pigtails. She had a simple, purple backpack and she wiggled her little feet nervously, her black Mary-Jane shoes scrubbing against the concrete.

"Gabby, calmerse… calm down, you will do fine I know you will," Isabella smiled down at her daughter. Gabriella looked up with her big chocolate eyes,

"I don't know anybody there, what if I don't make friends?" Gabriella asked softly. Isabella smoothed out her hair,

"Nonsense, you will do brilliantly. Just be you Gabby," Isabella said. The mother and daughter looked up when the big yellow bus pulled up in front of them, "Ok, up you go," Isabella said as the door pulled opened and fixed her backpack. Gabriella climbed up the first steps and looked back worriedly, but Isabella gave her an encouraging smile and ushered her up the steps. The bus door squeaked closed and drove off, and Isabella sent a last wave to her daughter.

Inside the long bus, Gabriella clutched onto her bag nervously and walked down the long aisle that seemed never to end. All around her other kids were chatting with their own friends, and Gabriella might've passed by more and more seats and began to doubt she'd be able to find anyone to sit with…until she came up to the second last row. A boy with brown hair was talking excitedly to a boy across from him. The other boy had bushy black hair and was sitting with someone, and had stopped talking when Gabriella came up to them. The bushy haired one immediately leaned back, taking an interest in the boy next to him instead and Gabriella turned uncertainly to the one with shaggy brown hair who sat alone.

"Um…" Gabriella began shyly,

"Do you want to sit?" the boy asked brightly immediately moving his superman backpack off of the window side seat and shifting over to make room for her. Gabriella smiled slightly, and hopped up, her legs swinging only a little bit above the ground. Gabriella snuck a look over at the boy,

"Um I like your backpack," she complimented, the boy beamed,

"My daddy picked it out, my mommy said it mighta been too much but I like it," he beamed, "My names Troy," Gabriella blushed,

"Um Gabby-Gabriella," she stuttered. The two of them sat together silently all the way to school, swinging their legs. They sat together in class too and chatted a bit, and then sat together again on the bus ride back home… talking all the way.

* * *

**4 years later**

Now in grade 5, 10 years old Troy and 9 years old Gabriella was in the same class-along with a Chad Danforth-Gabriella had the weirdest memory of possibly having seen him on her first bus ride.

"-and my dad took me to a basketball game, it was so fun, they were so tall!" Chad continued to give them a play-by-play of the game he had gone to just last weekend. Troy looked like he was listening and Gabriella wasn't listening at all. The brunette was used to it by now, having Troy as her best friend. And had long gotten use to learning to tuning them out until Troy had called her name.

"What did you think about that movie today?" Troy asked stopping Chad in his talking,

"It was so weird! I mean, how can that guy leave but come back and marry that girl again?" Chad shuddered; Troy sent a glare at him,

"I don't know, it was kind of sweet I guess," Gabriella said, "Well it was sweet when he came back. They were friends for a long time weren't they?"

"Only a girl would like a movie like that," Chad shuddered. Before Troy could say anything, someone honked on a car horn and Chad jumped, "That's my mom! Sure you don't need a ride Troy?"

"No, I'll walk with Gabriella,"

"Suit yourself, bye Troy, bye Gabriella!" and Chad's bouncy curls disappeared into the car, leaving Gabriella and Troy to continue their walk home.

"Do you think you can stay for dinner?" Gabriella asked hopefully as they reached her house. Having been friends for the last 3 years, Troy had stayed at Gabriella's house everyday after school until Isabella had decided to call Diane, and arrange that Troy stay at their house and whenever Diane or Jack got off work, they could just come and pick them up. Seeing how happy their son was, the Bolton couple quickly agreed to the arrangement, and offered the same on the weekends if Gabriella wanted to come over.

"Probably, Dad has some meeting and Mom's probably working late," Troy shrugged, "besides, that means Dad won't have to keep making me practice basketball again."

"Maybe he wants you to exercise," Gabriella giggled, "So you won't get fat," Troy gasped,

"Hey that was mean!"

Gabriella's giggled quickly turned into a laugh as she ran the remaining distance left to her house and Troy quickly caught up. Isabella opened the front door in time to see two blurs run into the house and she hid a smile, closing it again,

"Hi Mommy!" one blur up the stairs

"Hi Ms Montez!" another blur up the stairs.

"Be careful you two!" Isabella scolded up the stairs, "Troy will you stay for di-"

"He will Mommy!" "Sure Ms Montez!"

"Will I need to call your mother again Troy?" Isabella chuckled,

"Please Mrs Montez?" Troy's head popped out grinning sheepishly. Isabella only shook her head at the 10 year old as she headed for the phone to dial the number that she seemed to be dialling a lot lately.

-

-

Upstairs after dinner, Troy and Gabriella were both on the floor of Gabriella's room, doing some math while waiting for Troy's parents to pick him up.

"Hey Gabby what's question 5?" he asked innocently, Gabriella glanced up at him,

"You won't learn if I tell you the answers,"

"But if I know the answer I can try and do it and see what I did wrong right?"

"You won't do them once I give you them,"

"How do you know?"

"I know you Troy," Gabriella smiled. Troy only rolled his eyes and slammed his math notebook shut, knowing it was hopeless to try and to it while Gabriella was next to him nearly half way done.

"Hey Gabby," he jumped onto her bed and looked at her cross legged, "You know that movie, about getting married?"

"Uhhmm,"

"Do you think of when you're gonna get married?"

"What?" Gabriella looked up, "I don't know, aren't we kind of young?"

"We're 10, double digits," Troy scoffed, "Well you're nine, but you're turning 10 this December so its close enough."

"Hmm," Gabriella had a thoughtful look, "I dunno, I never asked my mom about that, and… well I dunno I don't think_ everyone_ gets married, I mean look at the girl's best friend in the movie. She never got married."

"Yea well it'll make you look kind of stupid if you don't won't it?" Troy said making Gabriella glare at him, "Not that it's _wrong_ or anything, but well everyone's getting married someday."

"Well… will you get married one day?" Gabriella asked. Troy hopped of her bed and joined her on the floor,

"I don't know. Maybe, well… what if no one wants to marry me?" Troy added sadly, and Gabriella tugged on her best friend's hand.

"That won't happen, you're the nicest guy I know," Gabriella smiled making Troy smile too,

"Still…"

"How about we make a promise?" Gabriella suddenly said, sitting up straight and drawing Troy's attention, "Let's promise each other if we don't get married when we're 25, we'll marry each other." She said. Troy looked like she had threatened him with a knife,

"What-we-together?" he stuttered blushing, Gabriella cocked her head to one side,

"We're best friends right?" Gabriella added with an uncertain voice making Troy nod his head vigorously, "Then it should be alright. Besides, it'll probably never happen right?" Troy didn't focus much thought on the last part of her sentence, only hearing the first part and nodded his head. Gabriella beamed and held up her pinkie, this time Troy _really_ scrunched up his nose,

"Pinkie promise? Gabriella aren't we too old for this, we're 10!" Troy whined but Gabriella glared,

"C'mon Troy, please?" she begged him. Troy groaned and held up his hand with his own pinkie out. _At least there's no one here to see it except Gabby_.

"Fine," Troy sighed, they met eyes and linked their pinkies, "Deal."

* * *

**To clear things up. Troy and Gabriella were born in the same year, only Troy is 5 months older (his brithday's in July and Gabriella's in December). I never said what movie they watched, I just made it up along the way.**

**Translations: **

Hermoso: Beautiful

Calmerse: calm down


	2. Best Friends Always

Wow, the first chapter was a GREAT success!! Thank you so much for reviewing and I'm glad many of you thought the idea was original. I went through all the stories-or at least most-on to make sure that there wasn't a plot like this one. Anyway I'm glad and thank you for your encouraging reviews.

**Important: This story will be written about the gang MUCH after high school, so their characters will be different from what we see in the movie. I will still make reference back to the first and second movie, but don't expect Gabriella to still be the shy, sheltered little girl or Taylor to be 'strict-by-the rules- kind of attitude. Again, I love the idea of Sharpay being nice, so of course she will continue to be the good guy.**

**Zac Efron hosted the release of Halo3 in California. Did anyone get it?**

**Things have calmed down for Vanessa (thank goodness) she was seen running in for a photo shoot and going to movies and the gym with her mom and Stella. In regards to the 'pictures', Disney star and close friend of Vanessa, Hannah Montana's Miley Cyrus offered Vanessa her support, saying that people make mistakes, and that she'll support Vanessa. Miley's dad, Billy Ray Cyrus offered a similar comment.**

**On top of that, fellow singer Vanessa Williams recently said that Vanessa will definitely get through all of this, saying that the young starlet is very talented and really does have a good heart; Vanessa was also seen out shopping with friend and HSM co-star, Ashley Tisdale.**

**Ashley's new video, 'He said She said' is now out! I've seen it and it looks… pretty hot. It's fairly mature and definitely reflects on Ashley's age. Again, it will **_**not**_** be aired on Disney because it may be a bit too mature for younger kids, and the lyrics are different.**

**On the brighter side of things, it seems like Vanessa's en route to recording her second album. She was sighted going out for a quick break from recording-with all smiles. I'm glad Vanessa's smiling again.**

**Popstar! Has just announced that they will be releasing an ENTIRE issue dedicated SOLELY to Zanessa (and side bits about the rest of the cast), I just saw the cover, and it looks AMAZING. I can't wait for it to come out! It should be out around… next month.**

**There have been lyrics to a song called 'The first time' rumoured to be sung by Zac and Vanessa. I'm not totally sold on this, but if you want I can post the lyrics up on the profile and let you guys decide. No song's been out yet, and nothing's been confirmed, but I've read the lyrics and boy do I hope it's true!**

**Also, people who are like me and are completely obsessed over Zanessa, no worries, they are **_**still**_** together! Teen magazine's September issue is now out (the one with Vanessa on the cover-completely amazing). She confirmed that she **_**is**_** dating Zac, but said nothing else, trying to keep her private life private. BUT, they were sighted not so long ago going out together to eat at **_**Aroma Café**_**. And Zac's got a new ride! He's now cruising the streets with a **_**hot**_** new black Audi. Sweet…**

**Story: **A Pinkie Promise

**Author: **hugsxkisses

**Summary: **'Let's promise each other if we don't get married when we're 25, we'll marry each other' she said. He smiled, and linked his pinkie with hers 'Deal' 14 years later, 24 years old Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are single… and looking for love.

**Pairings: **Troy/Gabriella Chad/Taylor Zeke/Sharpay **Still undecided on Ryan, Kelsi and Jason**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical 1, 2 or any of its characters. I am simply borrowing them from Disney to fulfill my little fantasies.

* * *

_Chapter 2: Best Friends. Always._

* * *

**Day of Prom**

Now 18 years old, Gabriella Montez strolled through the halls of East High with her long brown hair swaying by her slim waist. Long slender arms carried text books varying from maths to sciences. Around her, students she only knew by looks rushed in an urge to get home… well who wouldn't? It was their last day as high school students, their prom was tonight and even those who were usually uncaring of their appearance would go home and at least _try_ to coordinate clothes.

"Oh!" Gabriella gasped slightly, bumping into someone a bit larger than her own petite frame. Looking up, her smile dropped seeing a tall brown eyed, black haired jock. He was East High's primo Football player, and basically what an aspiring bully would want to be when they grew up.

"Would you look at that? Little bookworm Montez, don't you need to go to the library, and read what prom's all about?" the tall football player teased, his eyes menacing. Gabriella didn't say anything, but tried to push through him, but for someone his size and for someone her size that was easier said than done, "What? Even someone like _you_ would go to prom-wait, no you wouldn't, no one would actually want to take you, you'd stick your nose in a text book the whole night," he snickered.

"There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you!" Both jock and Gabriella turned to the sound of the voice and Gabriella let out a quick relieved smile. Tall, broad shouldered, messy sandy brown hair, amazing body, god-like face and not to mention the bluest, dreamiest eyes you've ever seen, 18 years old, Captain of the East High Basketball team, Troy Bolton came into view of the two students. Immediately the football jock gave a hated glare to the basketball captain. After all, who didn't know the rivalry between the two jocks? While Troy led the team to back to back championships-and winning them-ever since he had joined the team, the football team didn't have the same luck. Barely making it to the semi-finals, it was no wonder the school praised Troy Bolton as their idol.

"I was looking for you, when I didn't see you at your locker I thought I'd find you," Troy let out a quick and easy grin that Gabriella was sure most of the girls at her school would die to see. He quickly dropped a quick kiss at the top of her head, and easily wrapped his arms around her waist, "Oh hello Jeffrey," Troy finally said facing the bulky jock.

"Bolton," Jeffrey said in forced courtesy, "You know Montez?"

"Know?" Troy laughed easily, "I was going to wreck the school looking for her. Gabby I told you I was going to drive you home so you could get ready for prom, and then I'd pick you up," Troy looked down at the brunette that was nearly a whole half a head shorter than him. She looked up at him with those adorably confused brown eyes, and his grin widened, looking intently at her, his mouth twitched, urging her to play along,

"What-oh," Gabriella recovered nicely, "I mean, right well I thought I'd go and see if… Taylor was ready yet, thought you could drive her too, and my mom already has my dress so it's not going to take long to change into,"

"I think she left with Chad already," Troy said amusedly, "Now let's get you home before your mom gets worried-and I'll take those," and he swept the textbooks out of her arms. "Well, see you at prom Jeff," Troy smiled, Gabriella offered her own smile,

"Bye," and the two of them left the football player alone in the halls. Once far enough from him and nearly out the door, Gabriella turned to her best friend,

"What was that?" she laughed as he held out the door for her,

"What, I really was looking for you," Troy answered goofily, "When your mom called and said that you weren't answering your phone,"

"Oh, batteries ran out," she admitted, "But still, what was all that with Jeff and prom?"

"Well I just _happened_ to come by, and hey my best girl friend was being harassed by some nitwit who can't play sport, what was I supposed to do?" Troy asked innocently. Gabriella laughed as they approached his car,

"Well thanks anyway, and have a good time at prom," she said softly, looking up at him, Troy looked down at her,

"What do you mean, you're not coming?" he asked disappointedly, Gabriella shrugged casually,

"No, not much of a social person and besides, Tay's going to Chad anyway, and I wouldn't want to be a bother,"

"What bother, didn't I just say you were going with me?" Troy asked, and Gabriella did a double take,

"I-well I thought you were just saying that… Troy don't you have someone to go with?" Gabriella was slightly-ok fine; she was _very_ amazing someone like Troy didn't have someone to go with. For a moment, she imagined how everyone would look like when school primo athlete and most popular guy to boot Troy Bolton walked in with school nerd and timid Gabriella Montez. It would be quite a sight. Even after nearly14 years of friendship, they remained as close as ever, just like when they had first met on the yellow school bus.

"No, no one I wanted to go with," Troy said casually, "I mean, they were either all blonde or all giggly, it's going to be weird going with them," Really wasn't any point of telling her about all the times he had to fake go to the washroom to avoid all the girls right?

"Oh and it wouldn't be weird to go with your best friend?" Gabriella laughed. Troy smiled, well no, not that he thought about it anyway. It just seemed more natural that if anyone would be going with him, it'd be Gabby. I mean, c'mon, how many people knew Troy like Gabby did? Given Chad would probably beat Gabriella by miles when it came to basketball, but when it came to _Troy_, nope, no one but Gabriella.

"You mean you won't go with me?" Troy whined, "Not even if I say pretty please? With a cherry on top, come on, I'll even do a pinkie promise!" Troy pouted down at her and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Guys and pinkie promises," Gabriella rolled her eyes, but still he maintained the puppy dog pout Gabriella knew her mom had taught him when she had refused to share her chocolate cookie with him when they were in grade 6. "Troy?"

"Yep?" Troy sprung up hopefully, Gabriella sighed, but graced him a smile that-not that she knew-she only did for him,

"7 tonight, you better be on time."

* * *

"_So wait, he asked you to go with him… in front of Jeffrey?"_

"No he was trying to protect me, and he didn't ask me to go with him, it's not a real date, we're going as friends,"

"_Girl, I've told you before, a date is a date, whether the boy knows it or not,"_

"Funny Tay, you know we're not like that" Gabriella rolled her eyes as she threw another dress onto the 'not' pile. On the phone was a three way conference with two of her best friends, Taylor McKessie was someone Gabriella had met that shared an academic interest with her. They became quick friends in grade 9 and continued through 'til grade 10, until Troy had brought Chad along one day for lunch, and the bushy haired jock and studious student hit it off right away. Taylor and Chad had dated for about one and a half years now. On the other line was Sharpay Evans, local drama queen. Sharpay and Gabriella didn't hit it off the right way. Sharpay had been 'after' Troy (well who wasn't?) and being the drama queen she was, always got her way. After two years in pursuit through the tenth and eleventh grade, Sharpay finally gave up-including giving up her feud with Gabriella. Neither Gabriella nor Troy could quite understand what Sharpay had meant when she said they were the blindest people she knew and that really deep down, knew she never had a chance. Regardless, seeing how clueless the two were, Sharpay had immediately joined the group.

"_Right, you keep telling yourself that,"_ said the blonde.

"Listen, I've got to go, I still can't find a dress and Troy's over in twenty minutes and I still need to shower," Gabriella muttered, really, how hard was it to find a dress?

"_Yea, wait before you go,"_ Sharpay interrupted, _"Gabs remember when we went shopping last week, and I said this dress looked totally cute on you, use that one. But straighten your hair, and put a little eye shadow on, and it won't kill you to wear some heels,"_

"Yes ma'am," Gabriella chuckled, "Ok I will I promise, bye!" Throwing the phone onto her bed, Gabriella pulled the choice of outfit away from her and scanned it up and down, _I wonder…_ "Mom, do you have heels?"

At five to seven, the Montez door bell rang, and Isabella Montez went to get the door, and opened it to reveal a light grey suit clad Troy,

"Troy don't you clean up nicely," Isabella teased the boy. She had watched him grow from a cute little 10 years old to a handsome 18 year old. Troy chuckled,

"Thanks Mrs Montez-uh Isabella," Troy corrected and smiled sheepishly. 8 years and he still couldn't get it. "Uh I'm here to pick up Gabby, just for the record, I arrived five minutes before so you're my witness just in case she says I came late,"

"You have my word," Isabella smiled, reaching for the camera by the table. A soft little 'ahem' came from the top of the stairs and Troy's face broke into one of his most stupid grins, and tried in vain to review useless basketball tactics in his mind to keep his brain working. Graceful like a cool breeze in spring, Gabriella quite literally floated down the stairs. Besides being a fairy for Halloween in their 4th grade, Troy had never seen Gabriella dressed like so. A thick, beige strap curled around her neck, and a golden circle linked the top to the neck of the dress. It flowed like water down her body, and reached her knees, her hair was straightened and laid flat on her back, and she ended her perfect little outfit with a pair of dainty, light peach heels.

"Wow you clean up nicely," Gabriella grinned, repeating her mom's words. Troy gave her what was considered his handsome smiles,

"So I've been told," He said, "You're not doing half bad," he beamed. Gabriella smiled and like the gentleman he was, took her hand and kissed the back of it, "Oh by the way, my mom thought I should bring this just in case," and he produced a corsage of flowers of light lavender and deep red. Gabriella gasped,

"It's beautiful," she said. Troy only grinned, and slipped it around her wrist, "Well we should go,"

"Wait, one picture, after all, you only get one prom to go to for a date," Isabella beamed, immediately the two teenagers flushed red,

"Mom, Troy and I aren't dating!" "Uh Isabella, we're going as best friends,"

"Ok fine my mistake, you only get one senior prom, now hurry and let me take the picture," Isabella brushed off impatiently. Despite their unnaturally hot faces, they pulled together, and like at school, Troy comfortably wrapped his arms around her waist and Gabriella tilted her head towards him. "Wonderful, now go on and have some fun!"

When Isabella looked at the picture on the digital camera moments after the teenagers left the house, she noticed that besides the fact their faces were still unnaturally red even on camera, but they seem to compliment each other perfectly. _There's another picture to go on the wall._

* * *

The East High graduates had their prom at a nearby banquet hall. In true Wildcats fashion, the way leading into the main entrance had a red carpet rolled out-even though it was only maybe 5 or 7 metres. Troy drove his car and the two of them got out to see the backs of their friends. Hurrying to join them, Troy absently took Gabriella's hand and led her through the door, oblivious to the looks the pair of them received. 

The inside of the banquet hall was dimly lit by several candles and a revolving disco ball. Soft music played and as many were still meeting friends, not a lot of people were on the dance floors, and as Sharpay had the tendency to arrive in nothing less than dazzling and completely unique, it took Troy and Gabriella next to no time to find the gang.

Sharpay Evans was there in all her Evans glory. Her luscious blonde hair was done up into a complicated knot, and she was wearing a strapless pink gown that glittered whenever the light hit it, and landed above her knees, of course the outfit would be completed by the perfect little pink shoes on her feet. Accompanying her was Troy's team mate and buddy Zeke Baylor. A great basketball player, and an even better cook, Zeke had an all around smile, and matched his girlfriend in a smooth black suit lined with light pink-Gabriella whispered to Troy that Sharpay must've picked out his outfit.

Next to the 'pink' pair was Gabriella's best friend Taylor McKessie. Over the years Taylor grew out of her crazy studious phase and while she took her studies more serious than most of them, managed to relax and have a bit of fun-courtesy of boyfriend Chad Danforth. Tonight, Taylor shed her image of bookwork, and wore a dazzling, simple deep lavender spaghetti strapped dress, the top clung a bit tighter than the bottom half did, but the dress managed to show off the curves that had developed but left unseen in Taylor's usual 'all business no play' outfit. Her hair was curled and left down to her shoulder blades. Chad-in all do respects-did do his best to co-ordinate with his girlfriend. While not as 'skin compatible' as Sharpay would say it to Taylor, the jock still pulled off a casual yet classy look with a loose white collared shirt and black dress pants…and his hair was quite obviously untamed-and not for the lack of trying.

The other three obviously came alone, but stood together. Kelsi Nielson was probably the shyest next to Gabriella in the group. Slightly shorter with bright auburn hair, the composer worse a strapless forest green dress, and for once, did not wear a hat. Next to her was Sharpay's twin brother, Ryan. Not nearly as out going as his sister, Ryan wore a daring light pink suit that almost looked white under the candle light, and of course had his trusty hat (not to mention he actually pulls it off). After Ryan was another of Troy's team, Jason Cross. A loyal friend, but also a bit of a suck up to their teachers and more than often, a little dense, Jason pulled off a dashing looking tux.

"Gabby, you took the advice, you look amazing!" Taylor squealed hugging her friend. Gabriella grinned hugging her back,

"Thanks, not bad yourself," Gabriella laughed, "Chad, looking good tonight,"

"As always," Chad winked, hugging the small girl. Gabriella had known Chad almost as long as she had known Troy. Chad had befriended Troy near grade 5, and had automatically been introduced to Gabriella. Gabriella often thought of Chad as the over protective brother she never had, right next to Troy.

"You should've _seen_ the faces of the others when you walked in," Sharpay said with a malicious glint in her eyes, "The face on the cheerleader's… priceless."

"Why?" Jason piped in; the rest of the gang minus Gabriella rolled their eyes and groaned at his innocent clueless-ness.

"Don't worry Jason, just drop it," Zeke chuckled,

"Hey we should get a table big enough for all of us before they're all gone, more people are coming in," Ryan suggested leading the group to a large table in the middle. They placed themselves accordingly in the seats-those who had dates sitting with their dates, and the rest just placing themselves wherever.

"Was mom pestering you again about calling her by her name?" Gabriella asked Troy once they settled down, Troy chuckled,

"Yea… 8 years and I still can't call her Isabella, seems so weird," Troy said,

"Well you can tell your mom and dad that when they ask me to call them Diane and Jack, then we'll be even" Gabriella replied, Troy smirked,

"Touché Montez," he teased. "By the way, I might be late this Sunday for the brunch; I'll call before I come,"

"No problem, Mom always saves an extra two plates for you, knowing your appetite," she replied.

"Well now that the old couple over there have stopped planning their schedules right in front of us," Chad interrupted, smirking. Taylor smacked his arm even though they shared a smile and Kelsi giggled,

"Let's just look at the menu and see what's to eat," the composer suggested, handing out menus to all of them. The table fell until an unnatural hush as they whispered and poked and read at what was being offered. Troy-deciding that he would 'save' the menu peeked over at Gabriella's ("Troy Bolton stop being so lazy!" Gabriella scolded, Troy had shrugged innocently, "We're saving paper,") menu.

"Oh… that looks good," Troy said pointing at a picture of what he assumed was steak. Gabriella shook her head,

"It's lamb, see," and pointed out number 76 _Baby lamb with boiled baby carrots with choice of salad or soup_. Troy pulled a face,

"I take it back,"

"What's that?" Gabriella pointed to what looked like seafood spaghetti. Troy flipped through her menu,

"Um, some new sort of macaroni… and instead of macaroni its spaghetti-no you won't like it, there's spinach in it." Troy shook his head, "Ok no pasta, they have spinach, definitely no lamb, I think I'll just get…"

"Pork chop with boiled baby carrots with your choice of salad and fries-so basically fries," Gabriella read from the menu, Troy's eyes lit up,

"Excellent! We can order now," he said to the rest of his friends. As the two of them waved for someone to take an order, the rest of the table rolled their eyes; did they honestly think they didn't notice their little conversation just then? Orders circled around the table until they reached Troy,

"Troy, Gabby didn't order yet," Ryan said, they all looked at Gabriella who seemed uninterested in the ordering process and was still pouring over what ever had caught her attention on the menu,

"Pork chop with baby carrots and fries," Troy ordered his and paused, giving the waiter a moment to write, "And a Caesar Salad with soup," Gabriella gave him a glance, "And no spinach please." The waiter nodded and walked away. "You and spinach," Troy rolled his eyes,

"You and reading off your own menu," Gabriella retorted.

"Heh, it's like we're not even here," Chad said.

As night drew nearer, the gang found themselves dreading the end of the night. Graduation had been two days ago, and they already knew where they were going. Sharpay, Ryan, and Kelsi were going to attend a special Arts university in New York. Ryan and Sharpay obviously had been eligible to enter given their family connections, and Kelsi was going by scholarship. Troy, Jason, Zeke and Chad were attending the same university under similar scholarships, Troy with a basketball scholarship, Chad and Jason both with athletic scholarship, and Zeke splitting in half with an athletic scholarship and culinary arts in LA. Gabriella and Taylor both got into the same university, though Taylor specified under science and Gabriella under math and science, but took an extra course in arts.

"This is it… the real world," Ryan said heavily as the night ended.

"Yea…" the group chorused,

"Four years… and we're finally here… to go to more school," Chad said hoping to add some sort of humour,

"Yea…"

"Ok it's not like we're not going to see each other! There's Christmas break, March break, exam break, we'll get to see each other soon, if we don't I'll personally hunt you all down," Sharpay said, and the group finally broke into a smile. They said good bye, and slowly trickled off on their own. On their way home, Troy glanced at Gabriella,

"It's not that bad, we'll still see each other, we're both going to LA right," Troy said, Gabriella nodded, "It'll be alright, I promise," he said softly and Gabriella looked at her best friend in the entire world,

"Pinkie promise?" she repeated the same words they had 8 years ago in her room. This time Troy managed to hold the face pulling.

"I swear," he opt, Gabriella glared at him, "Ok, promise, pinkie promise." And they linked their pinkies together.

"Best friends?"

"Always,"

* * *

**A/N: The first two chapters basically details their school lives and introduces everyone. Next chapter is where the fun begins! Just for reference, if you wanted to know how Gabriella's dress looks like, it's basically the one Vanessa wore to the ABC All Star party. Just Google it and add Vanessa's name and you'll find it. I LOVE the dress!**


	3. New Year

I'm back again! School's catching up. Again, thank you for your wonderful reviews, nothing like getting over school by reading encouraging words.

**Ok, it's now official! HSM3 is going to begin filming next year of January, meaning 2008. Working titles include 'Grease 5', 'Haunted High School Musical' and 'High School Musical 3: Gradu-Dancin'. For those who are confused, working titles are the temporary names of movies that are in the process of making, but no official name has been chosen. Funny fact: High School Musical was actually a working name, but they couldn't think of an official name before the premiere of the first movie, so they kept it.**

**I've checked IMDB as well as other magazines, the casts-meaning ALL of them are still under negotiations. No one's been confirmed yet. Actor Ryne Sanborn says he hasn't gotten a call about a reprising role and neither has Olesya Rulin. Apparently, Disney is paying Zac 3.5 million dollars for him to reprise as 'Troy' and Vanessa 1.5 million for 'Gabriella'. Zac says that the whole cast is still waiting to read the script, and if it's all good, of course they're all on board, and he always says that it'd be good if the third movie was surrounding the Wildcat's senior year and prom. And despite the whole picture scandal and all the rumours, Disney is STILL standing by Vanessa and wanting her to do the movie. The third movie will be a feature film, meaning released in theatres. **

**Lots of Zanessa sightings, some including Zac and Vanessa at the gas station filling up Zac's new Audi A6. The pair was smiling and **_**very**_** happy. OK! Magazine said that Zac had broken up with Vanessa. From all I know right now, that is **_**not true**_**. For one thing, they're still wearing their love-ship rings.**

**Ashley has released a **_**second**_** music video, 'Not like that', it's on youtube. I think it's better than 'He said she said'. **

**Vanessa has attended a lot of public appearances lately. Hopefully the whole scandal deal has cooled down, and she seems to be looking happier now so hopefully things will only get better.**

**I went and checked IMDB again… don't panic, but I don't see Monique or Lucas's name on the cast list at all. That just might be a little error, I will keep you updated. But right now I can only see Vanessa, Zac, Ashley and Corbin.**

**Story: **A Pinkie Promise

**Author: **hugsxkisses

**Summary: **'Let's promise each other if we don't get married when we're 25, we'll marry each other' He smiled and linked his pinkie with hers 'Deal' 14 years later, 24 years old Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are single…and looking for love.

**Pairings: **Troy/Gabriella Chad/Taylor Zeke/Sharpay

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical 1 or 2; I am merely borrowing the amazing characters to make a story of my own.

**Important Note: I know a lot of people wanted to see how the gang's college/university years went, but I planned this story to be around their adult lives, but there will probably be flash backs. I will repeat this again, Troy and Gabriella are **_**best friends**_** (well at least at the moment), so don't get angry when they each of their own share of relationships, as far as they're concerned, all my stories are Troyella. **

* * *

_Chapter 3: New Year_

* * *

"Mel, hurry they're going to be here soon!" 

Two fairly tall figures rushed around the room. Situated by a quiet little beach, the two levelled house was fluttering with activities. 24 years old, MVP of the LA Lakers, Troy Bolton was running like a maniac around the large living room setting up plates of assorted snacks, clicking through his large plasma TV for a channel while making sure the curtains were pulled back enough to watch the sun set over the glittering blue water.

"I get it, calm down… I got my shirt wrinkled too," whined a voice in the kitchen. A tall brunette came out of his kitchen. Melanie Goldstrem was also 24 years old… and a complete fashion fanatic. She had flowing caramel hair that was curled tonight, and warm mocha eyes-which were what Troy, had found the most appealing when he had first met her in an after party after a successful basketball game. Melanie could take up to one hour to make sure her hair and clothes co-ordinated with her shoes, which was why Troy had had her come in earlier.

"Its fine Mel," Troy sighed as his girlfriend flattened her sleeveless red turtleneck against her body, and then smoothed out her black mini skirt. Troy held in an inward smirk at how overdressed she was even though she was in complete right to, it was after all, New Year's Eve. But Troy Bolton found complete comfort in just a large t-shirt and a pair of crumpled jeans he had found somewhere in the corner of his closet.

_Ding-Dong Knock-knock_

Troy smirked, "Chad's here,"

-

-

The party was in full swing. Most if not all of Troy's team mates had been able to make it and most important of all, the Wildcat gang had made it. The last time Troy had been able to see the gang together was Sharpay and Zeke's engagement party. Troy remembered it fairly well; especially the part where Sharpay had smacked him on the head when he said it had been nice knowing Zeke, to think that someone working in Broadway would be able to tell between sarcasm and the truth.

Sharpay did not grow that much taller. Of course she was at least ¼ head shorter than the rest of the guys, but the blonde hair that use to be pass her shoulders now fell comfortably to her shoulders and straightened. She even allowed herself to have side bangs! Her clothes still spoke _volumes_, but at least it matched her age now. None of them forgot to tease how she used to dress like she was 18 when she was really 16. Zeke looked the same as he did the night of prom. He was a bit taller, and more out spoken now that he had grown out of his shy stage. Zeke owned a chain of restaurants, with Chad as his most popular customer.

Chad continued to sport his crazy curls, though he had cut it short when he started playing professional basketball alongside Troy. The two best friends were on the same team, and Chad had gone from the guy who didn't think before he spoke, to the guy who thought about what to say for 2 seconds before saying it. Taylor had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her hair grew out straight and down her back, and-surprisingly-she had taken the education road and now taught kindergartens. Chad and Taylor are still dating, even though they had more fights than Troy could count! The number of times Chad came to practice mumbling, but Troy thought it was probably just for show.

Ryan, Kelsi and Jason… wow… what can Troy say about them? Ryan worked in Broadway too, only he had gone from on stage to behind cameras, co-directing, sometimes directing most if not all of the shows Sharpay was in. Kelsi became a music teacher back at their old East High, but sometimes offered assistance to Ryan when he needed it. Jason had turned from a basketball player to a movie producer. No longer scrawny, and an occasional suck up, Jason filled out considerably, and despite being dense, had many ideas to create movies. All in all, Troy could say his friends were all fairly well off.

"Hey man," Troy turned and smirked, Chad came up to his best friend with a plate filled with whatever Troy had put in the red bowls, "Your girlfriend seems lonely," he winked and Troy had to agree. Melanie looked like a total outsider compared to the crowd in his house. While she had taken the time to co-ordinate every single thread on her body, his friends came in t-shirts, jeans-and skirts for Sharpay. She knew next to no body in the room except Troy, she had even talked with Chad for a bit, but always found nothing to talk about with the curly haired basketball player.

"Yea, maybe," Troy shrugged, taking another glance at the clock. It was 10:30pm and while he was glad everyone was having a blast, there was still one person that was missing. _"Gabriella's supposed to be back from her trip by now,"_ and knowing how punctual his best friend was, began making his way across his large living room, weaving between friends and team mates and absently said an occasional hi. He was almost to the door, when the door swing opened, and he felt a smile spread on his face, a smile so large it could've fallen off.

Gabriella Montez walked in, her cheeks flushed with rosy red from the cold winter wind outside, and her slender hands slipped the house keys back into her pocket as she brushed off the snow that had landed on her shoulder. She had just taken off her long winter coat, and showing her peach turtle neck and dark blue jeans when she had caught sight of him and his wide smile.

"And what are you so happy about?" the 24 year old brunette grumbled as she ran a finger down her lightly damped curls. Troy smiled,

"It is new years Gabby," he pointed out, instinctively wrapping an arm around her small waist and pulling her to him for a hug. He chuckled hearing her grumble well naturedly, accepting his hug, and Troy dropped a quick kiss on the top of her forehead,

"I still don't see the point with me having to park my car in your garage, when I could very well park outside, do you realize how far your garage is to your font gate?" Gabriella sighed, pulling away and looking up at the face of her best friend since forever. Somewhere behind Gabriella, Troy saw that Jason had wanted to say that a year ago, Troy had made a garage space for his visitors and friends, but Troy silenced him with a look. What Gabby didn't know won't hurt right? Besides, he quite liked the fact that every time she came over, she'd say the same thing in greeting.

"What can I say, I like my perks as a basketball player," Troy grinned, keeping his arm around the small of her waist and guiding her gently through the crowd. He had missed hanging out with her the past week, while they usually met every Sunday with Isabella and his parents for brunch, Gabriella had been away on a doctor's convention out in New York City, and had only gotten back the day before.

"Hey, look who it is?"

Troy and Gabriella grinned as they made their way to the group by the fire place. Ryan grinned and went to hug the petite brunette and Gabriella laughed when the tall blonde lifted her off her feet,

"Ryan let me down!" Gabriella laughed, Ryan chuckled and set her back down but pulled back and looked up and down like a brother would to make sure his sister came back in one piece, "Geez, Ry, I was only gone for a week," Gabriella said rolling her eyes.

"Don't blame him, he just wants to make sure his precious little GEM is on one piece," Chad added from behind Taylor. Gabriella giggled at the nickname that had appeared during their first year at university.

_Flashback_

_Troy, Gabriella, Sharpay, Ryan, Zeke, Jason and Kelsi all met up at Sharpay's house early that morning. The gang had all came back for their first Christmas break as university students, and the first thing any of them did was call up each other and arrange a gathering that was long over due. Not only were they there because of Christmas, but it was because they all wanted to celebrate a belated birthday for Gabriella, who had turned 19 just a week before Christmas Break. _

"_Aw guys, you really didn't need to," Gabriella said softly as they gathered around the big Evan's kitchen, where a chocolate cake sat in the middle of the table, with a candle made from the number 19 glowing._

"_Hey, it's not everyday our Gabby turns 19," Taylor said, "Besides, we can celebrate Christmas and your birthday all at once,"_

"_Exactly, plus Zeke spent a lot of time mulling in the kitchen for this," Sharpay added with a mock glare. Gabriella laughed, nodding her head appreciatively,_

"_Now hurry and blow out the candle so we can eat it!" Chad shouted, the gang laughed and Gabriella nodded, drawing in breath,_

"_Wait," Troy's hand was on her shoulder and Gabriella looked expectantly at her best friend, "Make a wish first," he grinned. Gabriella smiled and nodded and closed her eyes, silent for a few seconds before a small grin appeared on her face, and she blew out her candles. The group cheered and the lights turned on again and Jason set out to cut the cake and divide it onto plates. _

"_Hey look at this," Kelsi mentioned as she cocked her head to one side, observing the cake, "Gabriella Erin Maria Montez," she read._

"_That's her full name," Troy automatically answered,_

"_I know, but if you only take the first letter of eats name, you get g-e-m-m."_

"_Gemm isn't a word," Chad said impatiently, where was his cake?_

"_It isn't but Gem is," Taylor pointed out smiling, "I see Kelsi's point,"_

"_I like it," Ryan grinned, "Gem, it's like… a jewel," Ryan beamed and Gabriella blushed lightly, she had never thought of herself or her name like that,_

"_I like it too," Troy said in a soft voice, smiling, "Gabriella Erin Maria Montez, Gem, perfect,"_

_End of Flashback_

"Hey, speaking of which, have you seen Troy's new lady friend?" Chad smirked, nodding over to a lonely Melanie,

"She's quite a sight," Jason added, exchanging high fives with Chad. Taylor smacked Chad on the head, and Kelsi had given Jason a glare for his comment. Troy however was looking at Gabriella's reaction to the news. Was not telling her a good idea? Troy never brought any of his girlfriends to meet his friends unless they had been together for at least over 5 months. Troy always found he could read Gabriella's expression almost perfectly-probably because they had known each other for so long. He watched intently as her smile dropped slightly, but then curve into the soft and knowing smile he had seen so many times.

"No I haven't, but I'm sure Troy will get to that soon, won't you?" Gabriella said, looking hardly at him. Troy gulped and let out a nervous chuckle,

"Of course, actually we're going now, see you guys," and started leading the way, Gabriella followed him, she turned around and gave the rest of the gang an amused wink.

"Honestly, she's the only person who can make America's favourite jock to melt like ice cream in the sun," Sharpay laughed.

Melanie was sipping silently on a glass of juice, eyeing the people around her awkwardly. She was dressed _so_ nicely too! Her eyes brightened though when she saw her boyfriend come towards her, but they dimmed when she saw that he was accompanied by a shorter, pretty female someone. Melanie's eyes narrowed when she saw that he had his hand on her waist so comfortably like that, and she seethed seeing how that girl looked up at him, smiling like that. What right did she have to look like that at _her _boyfriend? Melanie straightened up, put on her best smile, and smoothed out her perfect outfit as they came nearer.

"Melanie," Troy smiled, "Gabby, meet Melanie, Mel, Gabriella Montez," Troy introduced. Troy noticed Gabriella look Melanie up and down, taking in her perfectly manicured nails, expensively done curls, crinkle-free sleeveless turtle neck and designer skirt. Troy found himself only glancing at his girlfriend's perfectly put together outfit, but taking his own time to let Gabriella's simple peach turtle neck and jeans that he had given her last Christmas sink in. He was glad Gabriella's brown hair was growing out again. She had cut it half way through university, and he had whined how it was too short. Now it was lying naturally curly against her neck at a comfortable length that reached her shoulder blades. It was when Gabriella smiled well naturedly and offered her hand did Troy return to the meeting at hand,

"It's nice to finally meet you, it seems like Troy's been keeping you a secret," Gabriella smiled. Melanie smiled sarcastically,

"It's good to see you too, I've heard a lot about you," Melanie said and Gabriella blushed slightly,

"You've been talking behind my back Troy?" Gabriella asked sternly, looking up at him. Troy grinned as innocently as he could, and squeezed her waist slightly,

"I have not! It's probably Chad or Ryan or Jason or the other guys," Troy smirked and Gabriella laughed shaking her head at him, "Hey don't do that I hate it when you do that, it's like I did something wrong," She raised her eye brow at him, "No, no comment from you anymore," Troy pouted. Melanie's brown eyes narrowed seeing how the two best friends seemed to be able to read each other so easily while she couldn't get Troy to tell her how his weekend! Gabriella laughed, but out of the corner of her eyes, saw the drop in Melanie's face, and the hated glare that was directed to her.

"So, Melanie how did you and Troy meet?" Gabriella extended nicely. Melanie seemed to have perked up instantly, and placed herself close to Troy, locking arms with him and beaming. She seemed to take pride in her story, Gabriella noted.

"Well, it was such a silly coincidence," Melanie said giggly, "I'm one of Jonathan's team mate's sister you see, and I run a fashion store downtown. I was at their team's after party when was it again?" Melanie looked up, Troy shrugged, noting Gabriella's sudden wince, "Well anyway, I met Jonathan there, but then halfway through the party, I realized I hadn't locked my store properly! So I rushed out, but I had gotten to the party with my brother. Stupid me, but Jonathan saw me rush out and offered me a ride. It was a good thing too other wise I'd have nothing in my store! So after that I had to thank him, so I told him we could get dinner some other time and I'd pay to thank him, and well one to another, its how we got here," Melanie beamed, squeezing Troy's arms. Gabriella smiled and Troy chuckled nervously,

"Um, I can't help but wonder, why do you call Troy, Jonathan, that's his middle name," Gabriella said and Melanie nodded,

"Oh I know, but it sounds so much better than Troy. Troy's so… I don't know, unsophisticated doesn't it? Jonathan sounds much more stylish," Melanie said. Gabriella's smile dropped even more,

"I like Troy just fine," Gabriella commented and Troy had to agree. Jonathan wasn't even his legal name, and he liked the name 'Troy', Gabriella liked it, why shouldn't anyone else? Melanie's smile dropped too, but remained diligent by Troy's side. "Excuse me, I need to catch up with a couple of friends, Troy, if you could tonight, I'd like to talk about your weekend, catch up," Gabriella beamed and Tory nodded smiling,

"Definitely," Gabriella nodded and headed off. Melanie seemed to glower at the petite brunette as she walked away and whined when Troy pulled his arm away,

"Melanie don't you need to get somewhere tonight? I thought you had a fashion show to go to," Troy asked. Melanie nodded,

"I do, thanks for reminding me," Melanie said as they walked to the front door, "So I'll see you later?" she asked hopefully. Troy shrugged, and Melanie leaned in for a kiss, and Troy gave her a quick one on her cheek. She pulled back disappointed and slightly irritated and left with a huff. Troy found his friends and Gabriella by the sofa in front of the TV,

"Where's your girlfriend?" Zeke teased from the sofa. Troy looked confused for a moment, his eyes going straight to Gabriella sitting in front of him, also waiting for his answer.

"_What did he mean? She's right there!"_ Troy's mind said his mouth ready to say that Gabriella was right beside him, _"Wait, no, he meant Melanie! Right, Melanie's the girlfriend, Gabby's the girl friend." _His mind cleared,

"Troy?" Gabriella's little hands touched his to wake him out of his reverie. Troy gave her an assuring smile,

"_Great, so much for clearing my mind," _"She had a fashion show to get to so she left early," Troy answered out loud.

"Sad, it's new year's eve too," Kelsi commented and Troy nodded, his mind not really listening,

"Hey, it's counting down!" Chad nearly screamed out loud drawing the attention of the entire room. The large plasma screen showed the downtown of New York City, the streets crowded and filled with screaming people as the digital numbers counted down the remaining seconds of the year.

"10…9…8…7…6…5…" the room chanted. Everyone gathered around closer, and Troy found himself squished up against his sofa and Gabriella's head between his arms, she too was smiling and counting softly to herself.

"4...3...2...1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!" both the people in the screen and the people in his house burst out into hysterics, shouting and screaming. People hugged all around him, some of his team mates slapped him on the back. In front of him Zeke gave Sharpay a sound-and long- kiss and Taylor and Chad shared one too. Gabriella stood up on her knees on the couch, and faced Troy.

"Happy new years," Gabriella beamed softly, and Troy nodded,

"Happy new years Gabby," he replied softly. Like Gabriella had said, it _was_ New Years, and Gabriella was his best girl friend. Melanie suddenly out of his mind like wind blowing away dust, Troy gently kissed Gabriella on the slope of her nose, and pulled her towards him for a hug. His grin widened feeling her arms wrap around him too.

"_A great way to start the New Year."_

* * *

**A/N: So, does anyone hate Melanie already? LoL! No, Troy doesn't know he's in love with Gabriella; all he knows is that these feelings are for his best friend since he was 5. Gabriella also has her share of relationships, but they won't be introduced until later… maybe next chapter. And I know medical school probably takes around 7 years, so for now let's just say Gabriella's an intern at the hospital.**


	4. Know it all

Another successful chapter! Ha-ha a lot of people are already fairly pissed off about Melanie; well she's here to stay… well at least for a couple of chapters. I'd just like to say that this story will be fairly calmer than my previous HSM stories. There won't be _huge_ arguments or life threatening situations, just normal daily life of adults… although when we get to the climax that may change.

**Again Vanessa's been sighted at **_**a lot**_** of public events. I'm proud of her, she's making public appearance to help push the whole scandal deal aside, and it should be pushed aside. On a brighter note, a new advertisement from Ecko red has been released with Vanessa on it, as well as a commercial with Vanessa in it. It looks AMAZING! V looks absolutely adorable in it. Ashley Tisdale and JoJo also have a commercial. **

**Vanessa continues to work on her upcoming album that **_**might**_** be due out early 2008. During promotional of her first album, she mentioned that she wants to start writing her own song for the second one. She also says that the second one is a bit more mature sounding, and again has a variety of songs.**

**Zac went to **_**a lot**_** of places the past few weeks. He was in Tokyo, Japan promoting the release of Hairspray, and then he went to Australia to co-host the Kids Choice Awards there. Zac won 'Fave Movie Star' and HSM2 won the 'So hot right now' award, so congratulations to the cast!**

**I **_**think**_ **Ashley's going on tour. She has a youtube account, and recently posted a video. The summary included the comment 'See you on tour'. Again I'm not so sure about it yet.**

**A recent interview with Corbin Bleu showed how close the cast really are. They **_**did**_** ask Corbin about the incident with Vanessa, and instead of directly talking about his friend, he generalized it by saying people makes mistakes, and that everyone is bound to slip once in a while but he believes that they will learn from it. Not really answering what he thought about the incident. When asked if the entire cast is protective of each other he answers 'Yes, definitely.' **

**Last chapter I posted an update about HSM3 to begin filming in January by OK! Magazine, from Corbin's interview, they're still not sure about it yet. They asked him about the filming in January, and Corbin says he's not sure because he hasn't signed on yet and that they're all still in negotiations.**

**Rumour has it Vanessa will be on the next Disney Mania soundtrack, Disney Mania 6! There's been a variety of different songs Vanessa has been rumoured to sing, and none of them has been backed up. But I think we can be pretty sure she'll be on it. I've read a couple of articles on the internet about it and read the track listing, and found that Zac isn't on it (Other HSM2 stars includes Corbin, Ashley, Lucas and Monique). I'm kind of disappointed considering the great job he did with HSM2 and Hairspray. BUT the CD listing is still a rumour so who knows.**

**Rumours that Vanessa has signed a million dollar contract with popular shoe brand Skechers is not true! Vanessa has not signed any contract with Skechers at the moment.**

**OK! Magazine wrote an article that said Vanessa has been dropped by Disney and will not appear in the next HSM3 movie and that either Cheetah Girl's Adrienne or Sabrina Bryan will replace her. THAT IS COMPLETELY FALSE!!! Both Vanessa's representataive and Disney's representative and spokesperson has cleared the rumour, saying that they have not dropped Vanessa, and that ALL actors are in talks still. Disney's representative has also said that OK! Magazine did call about the rumour, and even though Disney said it was untrue, OK! still published it. To add on to the truth, Popstar! Magazine has also said that the rumour is FALSE! There is a petition going on right now to keep Vanessa in HSM3, I will post the URL on my profile. Let's support Baby V!!**

**Edit 10/17/07: **Happy early 20th Birthday to Zac! He's turning 20 tomorrow on the 18th, we all love you!

**

* * *

**

_Chapter 4: Know it all_

* * *

_It was absolutely perfect._

_The sky was blue, the sun was shining, and the grass was green. There was nothing but the gentle wind that would occasionally blow into her face and cooled down the other wise perfect temperature. Gabriella Montez was in heaven. Then someone appeared in front of her, and she walked through the calm air to try and find that one person who completed her dream…_

_**Ring…ring…**_

Gabriella opened one of her eyes from her soft, downy pillow and looked at the cordless that was flashing colours signalling a call.

"_Blue skies…green grass…"_ Her brain chanted, begging for the dream to come back.

_**Ring…ring**_

"Blue skies, green grass, bright sun…ugh!" she groaned into her pillow. The _one_ day she gets a day off from her intern job at the hospital and gets to sleep in… her phone rings. Eyes still closed and willing to doze off, her right hand groped around her table until it felt the form of her phone and picked up. The ringing stopped. Contemplating whether or not to just hang up on the person now that the ringing stopped, one glance at the caller ID stopped her train of thoughts. Sighing, she put the phone by her ear.

"This better be good, I only get this one day off for the month Troy," Gabriella's voice turned from the stern, scolding voice from the beginning to a whining voice at the end.

"_Gabby, I need help!"_

"What's wrong?" she asked, now slightly more awake,

"_I have this press conference type thing in an hour and I can't find the outfit I need to wear-screw can't finding it, I don't _know_ what to wear!"_ Troy's panicky voice exclaimed from the other line. Gabriella's body relaxed from the unconscious tensing it had undergone when Troy had first exclaimed his troubles.

"That's it? You can't find your shirt, _that's_ why you called me at 8 in the morning?"

"_Gabby if it wasn't important I wouldn't! But seriously, it's a press conference I need to be there or the coach will kick my basketball playing butt all the way back to Albuquerque! Please Gabby I need to find my clothes!"_

"You know, judging by how Melanie was dressing last night I'd have thought you'd ask her for help I mean, that's what girlfriends are for right?" Gabriella smirked,

"_Gabby!"_ Troy whined, _"This is no time to be joking! C'mon, besides Mel doesn't know where I put my clothes-hell _I_ don't know where I put my clothes! Please Gabby I'm desperate! You're my best girl friend please, pretty please I'm desperate!"_

"You owe me Troy," Gabriella sighed, pulling her body out of bed, and shivering slightly feeling the cold air brushed her camisole and shorts clad body, "I'll be over in 20 minutes."

"_Yes! Hurry,"_ _**Beep**_ and Troy hung up. Gabriella sighed and padded through her room and to the washroom outside her modest little apartment. Not as big as Troy's house, but the two rooms, two bathroom, kitchen, and living room was enough for her. Gabriella began doing her daily morning activities… all the while mentally going through Troy's closet.

* * *

"I'll be there as soon as I can!" Troy exclaimed, 

"_Dude coach will kick your butt all the way back to the East High gym if you don't show up on time!"_ Chad said from the other line,

"I know that!" Troy nearly shouted, "I'll be there I swear, I just… have a little problem,"

"_Who cares man, show up in your underwear! Just_ be here ASAP_!"_ and Chad hung up. Troy collapsed onto his couch and his phone clattered from his hands. He hated mornings, hated them, hated them, _hated them_! Especially mornings that had press conferences he forgot about. He especially hated those.

_**Ding Dong**_

"_YES!"_ he nearly flew off his couch and dashed to his front door and threw it opened. He didn't even need to take a second glance as he picked Gabriella up off her feet and swung her around, "You are a life saver!" he shouted,

"Wow you really are a mess," was Gabriella's greeting. She pulled back when her feet finally touched the ground, and observed Troy's dishevelled appearance that included a _very_ crumpled and old grey t-shirt, shorts that he probably found buried under the rest of his clothing and hair that was in desperate need of a comb… or a lawn mower.

"Please I'll beg you, I need help! I can't find anything!" Troy said quickly ushering her quickly into his bedroom. His bed wasn't made, and his closet and drawers were flung opened. Gabriella walked calmly into his room, fairly use to his organizational skills.

"You know what the first thing you're going to do is?" She turned and looked at him, "You're going to go to the bathroom, and clean yourself up,"

"Gabs, I have a conference in _half an hour_," he stressed,

"I know and I highly doubt they'll like to see you in messy hair and a crinkled shirt now go!" and she pointed to the bathroom in the room. Troy marched like a baby being ordered to bed, but allowed a hint of a smile when he looked back secretly to see Gabriella in the process of making his bed and her perfect mocha eyes scanning the contents of his closet.

When Troy came out all clean and hair combed, Gabriella wasn't there and his room looked like it had been in its own washroom too. His bed was neatly made, and his drawers and closet closed. When Troy snuck a look inside, his clothes weren't tossed into every available corner, but folded or hung up. Troy would need to ask Gabriella how she learned the magic to put everything so neatly in such little time. On his neatly made bed was a neat little ensemble of clothing. Walking over, his blue eyes scanned the solid blue collared shirt and dark dress pants. It was… rather simple, as opposed to what Melanie would've put together.

Outside in the kitchen, Gabriella hummed a little song to herself as she worked around, completely at home with the kitchen. She smiled a little when she thought back to how Troy would never have time for breakfast because of gruelling practices-especially during basketball season. Gabriella sometimes had early morning shifts (like at 5:30 in the morning), and she'd sneak in while he was still sleeping, and make a little something before sneaking out again. Someone's got to make sure he eats right?

"Mmm… smells good." Troy walked into his kitchen in the outfit Gabriella had picked out. Gabriella placed the plate of toast and scrambled eggs onto the table and went to scrutinize his outfit like she always did. Mumbling to herself, she flipped his collar down and smoothed it out, and then unbuttoned one of the white buttons on the shirt before taking a step back.

"Looking good," she smiled, "Tuck the front in a bit more… much better." Then she sniffed the air, "Perfect."

Troy grinned. He was never one to be too fond of cologne. In fact, aside from special events, conferences or the once in a while important date, Troy tried to avoid using cologne as much as possible mostly because he tended to over do it. The first few times he used cologne was for a few dates, and it was either his date was too busy ogling at the fact that they were going out with a NBA player or was too busy holding their breath to speak. Troy sincerely hoped it wasn't the last one. But this time, he had tried the cologne Gabriella had given him last Christmas, and was waiting for her decision. Now it was obvious he did it right.

"Great, enough time for breakfast!" Troy grinned dropping into his seat and digging into his toast, "By the way, why didn't you use the keys I gave you?"

"Oh right, I think your lock's a bit broken, it's hard to open," Gabriella said and Troy nodded making a mental note to replace the lock and remember to make two copies of keys once the lock was done,

"I'll give you the new one once it's changed," Troy said, Gabriella held in a smile but nodded still, knowing it was useless to refuse taking his keys.

"I'll just put mine here then, no point in using it now," she said putting the keys onto the table by the door, "Is there anything else that you needed help with, you know besides making sure you have clothes on your back and food to eat?" she teased. Troy chuckled,

"No, morning's basically booked with interviews and stuff," he rolled his eyes, "Do you want a ride home or something?"

"No I drove," she smiled, "Finish up quickly ok? You have 20 minutes before your conference; your dishwasher's loaded with dish soap already." Gabriella said as she walked to the door again, "Good luck,"

"Thanks Gabs, I owe you big time," Troy gave her one of his rare, beaming grins. Gabriella smiled,

"Mmhmm I'll remember to add that to my list." She smiled, turning the door knob to open the door. On the other side, Melanie was standing there her finger poised to ring the doorbell. At first she looked surprised at Gabriella's presence in her boyfriend's house, but that quickly disappeared and turned into anger and jealousy. Gabriella smiled nicely,

"Good morning Melanie," Gabriella greeted, "Troy, Melanie's here. I have to go, if I left anything here just—"

"Put it on my bed stand and you'll drop by, got it," Troy finished with a muffled voice from the toast and eggs in his mouth. Gabriella shook her head amusedly,

"There's a cup of orange juice in the 'fridge. It's on the second shelf on the door." There was shuffle of chairs and an opening of a door, "It's nice seeing you again Melanie," Gabriella smiled before she left. Melanie glared at the retreating brunette as she entered Troy's house and closing his door. The first thing she noticed was the absence of the smell of cologne.

"Hey," Troy smiled, already standing up and placing his plate and cup into the dishwasher. Just like Gabriella had said, there was already dish soap in there-along with a couple of dishes and cups he had left in the sink- and all he had to do was press start.

"You're up early," Melanie gave him her winning smile.

"I have a conference in 18 minutes I need to get to," Troy said,

"A conference, how come you didn't tell me? I would've helped pick out what to wear," Melanie pouted, regarding his ensemble of solid colours. It looked nice on him, she had never considered solid colours on him, and she had always pegged him for a person of stripes.

"I would've but you know my way around my closet as good as Chad does. I can't be late," Troy explained as he went for his car keys,

"No one can find your way around that closet of yours," Melanie giggled, Troy shrugged,

"I sure can't, so I called Gabby. She came over like 10 minutes later, I swear my closet looks like a closet now," Troy chuckled. Melanie continued to frown as he marched to the door, "I've got to jet or I'm dead meat. I'll see you later k?" Troy gave her another smile before he left for his car in his jacket and left Melanie standing there. If he thought he was going to leave and not see her with him in the conference he was dead wrong! It helped when your brother was in the same conference as well. Melanie did a sweep of the room with her brown eyes before finding Troy's house key on the table. Smiling to herself she grabbed it and strutted out the door and closing the room behind her.

"_Not a smell of over done cologne in the room at all,"_ she noted.

* * *

"I would've thought you'd be sleeping in when you didn't have to work," Taylor said amusedly to Gabriella. Taylor had dropped by Gabriella's house and drove her to a café where the two girls were now sitting by the window seat, awaiting the arrival of Sharpay. 

"Me too, but Troy couldn't find his way through his closet," Gabriella rolled her eyes, "The man needs a bigger closet."

"Gabs no one can find their way through his closet, well no one but you I guess," Taylor teased and Gabriella laughed,

"Well I've had about 19 years to deal with it so it's no biggie," Gabriella shrugged, "Don't girlfriends usually go to press conferences with their boyfriends?"

"No…why?"

"Really? 'Cause I saw Melanie going to Troy's this morning, I guessed I assumed she was there so they'd be going together." Gabriella said.

"Chad asked, but really who wants to be there listening about sports?" Taylor rolled her eyes, "And besides, I bet that Melanie only wanted to make it look like she was going so she'd be able to say to you that she went,"

"Why would she do that?"

"You really have no idea do you?" Taylor smirked,

"What?" One thing Gabriella absolutely _hated _about Taylor or Sharpay, they never, ever gave her a straight answer…_ever_.

"If she doesn't have any idea then she should figure it out for herself," said another voice. Sharpay joined Taylor in their little booth, holding a decaf latté.

"I hate you both," Gabriella grumbled childishly. The three girls dropped the subject much to Gabriella's delight, and talked for couple of hours. By the time they ran out of topics (meaning ran out of coffee), it was 4 and they had been in the café for two hours already. Then something rang from Gabriella's bag behind her, and she fished out her cell phone and smiled slightly.

"Wanna bet who that is?" Sharpay whispered quietly to Taylor, Taylor smirked,

"Smart enough not to," she replied.

"Hey, interview over?" Gabriella grinned into her phone,

"_Thankfully, I was about to fall asleep, I've been sitting in a chair for over an hour," _said Troy's voice on the other line. It was muffled on the other line, and Gabriella could tell he was still in the conference room judging by the noise in the background. Gabriella also managed to pick out Melanie's voice close to Troy. _"Mel I'm on the phone don't talk so loud."_

"Troy maybe you should call back when you're actually out of the building," Gabriella laughed,

"_That would be smart but then if I were smart you wouldn't be here,"_ Troy joked, _"Listen wanna come over for dinner tonight? We haven't gotten together in SO long, and I wanna make up for missing Sunday Brunch last week."_

"You're going to call my mom and your parents too?"

"_No we'll be seeing them in a few days anyway-and yes I promise I'm going to Sunday Brunch this week. Just wanted to catch up, see how my favourite Gem is doing."_ Even on the phone Gabriella could see a private little grin appear on Troy's face when he called her that, heck she could feel a little grin on her face too.

"Well when you put it that way," Gabriella grinned, "Why not, I'll be the one doing most of the cooking anyway,"

"_Not true! I helped, remember last time I rolled the dough? Couldn't have made awesome muffins without my help, besides, we need to go to the grocery store, my house is running empty."_

"K, but I need you to come and pick me up,"

"_What's wrong with your car? Are you alright?"_ Troy's instant change in tone warmed her slightly,

"Nothing's wrong, it just needs some fix ups, I'm at Starbucks with Taylor and Shar, the one close to my apartment." Gabriella said,

"_Got it, I'll be right there, see ya." _Click. Gabriella looked back up and instantly regretted doing so because looking up meant seeing the smirking 'all knowing' faces of Taylor and Sharpay. "Um… Troy's coming to pick me up…"

"We know, we heard," they said in unison,

"You know it's scary when you two do that," Gabriella complained, picking up her bag, and searching for her compact mirror,

"We know that's why we do it," Sharpay beamed, "Well Tay and I probably should split, besides if Troy's coming then Chad's probably done with the interview, and I'd hate to be on the receiving line of another one of his speeches."

"'Man these conferences are so boring, my butt is nearly dead from all the sitting'" Taylor quoted then laughing, "Later Gabby," Taylor and Sharpay grinned at the brunette before leaving the café. Gabriella smiled shaking her head as she saw the familiar black Audi A6 pull up outside the restaurant and Sharpay and Taylor waving at the hidden driver before going their way. Gabriella walked out of the door.

-

-

"Why did we leave so early?" Melanie whined from the passenger seat. She was quite enjoying being by Troy's side as he was signing some autographs. Troy tapped his fingers on his steering wheel, not looking at his girlfriend,

"I told you I needed to pick up someone," Troy said wryly. Before Melanie could ask who, Troy's face perked up, and opened the door stepping out of his car. Gabriella grinned, coming up to him for a quick hug, "You changed," Troy said, eyeing appreciatively at her long coat on top of a red turtleneck and black jeans.

"And you crumpled your shirt," she replied, "We should get going if we're going to make dinner on time, store closes in two hours."

"Right," he grinned and as always, opened the back door for her allowing her to climb in before going to the driver's seat. Inside, Melanie glared at the girl behind but held some sort of smug smirk as well; after all it was her who was sitting in the passenger seat, next to Troy.

"I see you again Melanie," Gabriella smiled,

"Yes what a coincidence," Melanie smiled sweetly, "Jonathan I'm hungry," Melanie gave Troy a sweet look. Troy smiled at her and inwardly Melanie gave a whoop of triumph…

"Then you should seriously try Gabby's cooking then," Troy's smile than grew to even a bigger smile when he looked at Gabriella from the rear view mirror, "I swear I'd just be bones if she didn't drop in from time to time,"

"It's a guy thing," Gabriella teased, "Your dad had the same problem, Diane told me."

"Jonathan's dad?" for the first time in the last five minutes that Gabriella had been in the car; Melanie turned around and looked at her, "You've met Jonathan's parents?"

"Jack and Diane?" Gabriella said confusedly, "Yes, well I've met them when we were still little, Diane delivered me when I was born actually," Gabriella giggled. Melanie shifted her glare between the brunette and her boyfriend. She had met Troy's parents before… but a) it was only for a split two seconds because they were only passing by and b) she wasn't even on first name basis! Melanie doubted his parents even remembered her name! The three of them soon pulled up to a grocery store where they got out and Gabriella grabbed a cart. Troy, Gabriella and Melanie wondered through the isles and while Melanie had absolutely no idea what they were looking for, Troy and Gabriella seemed to know exactly what they were doing… taking in the weirdest combination of items.

"So…" Troy said as he and Gabriella stood in front of a pile of tomatoes. Melanie-having gone fed up with just trailing them around-had gone in search of her own items, "How are you and that guy, what's his name?" Gabriella mocked glared at him,

"His name isn't 'what's his name', it's Trevor." Gabriella said, "Seriously I don't get why you're so uptight about it."

"I'm not!" Troy protested, and Gabriella gave him a 'yea right' look, "I'm just seeing if he's right for you, and I don't think he's right for you."

"You didn't say that when you were playing one on one basketball with him,"

"Ok I'll give him that much," Troy let out a lopsided smile. Gabriella laughed at him, and took a tomato and threw it gently at his chest. Even still as he caught the tomato before it fell onto the ground, and placed it in a clear bag he gave her a pained face, "That hurt Gabby, right here," and put his hand over his heart,

"Good," Gabriella laughed as she filled their bag with five more tomatoes.

* * *

Back at Troy's house, Troy and Gabriella set out at making spaghetti with meat sauce while Melanie sat on the sofa scanning through channels… more like scanning through channels and turning around to shoot glares at the pair working in the kitchen. Gabriella assigned Troy to making the salad while the water boiled and Gabriella made the meat sauce. 

"What do you guys want in the salad?" Troy said aloud, addressing both women in the room. Melanie perked up instantly,

"How about olives," Melanie asked, looking straight at Troy,

"Gabby can't eat those," Troy instantly said before Gabriella could decline, Melanie's smile only dropped a little,

"How about some poppy seeds, Jonathan you loved it the last time we ate it at a restaurant." Melanie beamed reminding it him it was her decision for the salad. Troy nodded,

"Yea, but I felt all funny afterwards," he shrugged,

"You should've," said Gabriella behind him, "Troy Jonathan you're allergic to poppy seeds, and it makes you feel terrible afterwards all the time,"

"That would explain why I got all yucky afterwards," Troy agreed and Gabriella shook her head, one for his lack of attention to his health, and because of him using the term 'yucky'. Melanie frowned, she was losing! She can't be losing; after all it was _her_ boyfriend! Besides, Troy never told her about his allergy… well he might've but how was she supposed to remember?

"Troy just puts some croutons, cut some tomatoes and cucumbers-"

"And Caesar dressing," Troy added with a hopeful grin and Gabriella laughed,

"I don't like Caesar," Melanie said in a pointed and obviously irritated voice by the sofa. Gabriella looked over,

"Oh I didn't know that, sorry. K we'll just put out a couple of choices then," and she walked to the 'fridge to get the bottles out. Troy shrugged, happy that at least there was Caesar. On the sofa Melanie silently fumed,

"_How could he forget I don't like that dressing? Something needs to be done!"_ she thought.

Dinner went on fairly well. Troy-who haven't had Gabriella's cooking in a _long_ time-managed to finish his plate of spaghetti before the girls could get half way through theirs, and even went for a second helping. By the time dinner was finished, and the plates were safely placed in the dish washer Gabriella announced that it was time that she left. Seeing that she had arrived in Troy's car, Troy immediately stood and grabbed his car keys.

"I'll be right back Mel," Troy said quickly as he grabbed both his and Gabriella's jacket. Gabriella waved good bye and the two of them left

* * *

It only took about 10 maybe 15 minutes to get from Troy's house to Gabriella's apartment. When they did, Troy parked in front of the entrance, 

"I'll go upstairs myself, I don't need my neighbours asking me why I have a LA Lakers player bringing me home," she laughed, making use of his title to refuse his accompaniment. Her tone showed it was all well and fun and Troy chuckled,

"Fine, you busy tomorrow?"

"Got work, not everyone earns money flinging balls around," Gabriella teased recalling Mrs Darbus's words years ago.

"That's what you think," he winked, "I'll come pick you up for work if you want, if your car's not back yet."

"You just want an excuse to get something to eat," she mocked glared, "My shift starts at 8, so if you can come by around 7:30 I'll have something ready,"

"Awesome!" Gabriella could only shake her head at him, smiling amusedly,

"I really have to go now, got some sleep to catch up on," as always, she leaned in for their hug, and gave him a peck on the cheek, "By the way, I dumped what's his name," she added in a whisper before pulling back. Gabriella gave Troy one of her 'Gabriella' smiles, and got out of the car and waved to him one more time before entering her apartment building. Grinning to himself for some reason, Troy got home and was even in a good enough mood to sit through a movie with Melanie.

* * *

**A/N: So far **_**the**_** longest chapter for 'A Pinkie Promise'. Special thanks to ****lol925**** for giving me the **_**proper**_** information about hospital interns and NBA stuff. I wanted to keep Gabriella and Troy's ages between the 20s mostly because it's the age where most of the connection thing and romance thing really happens-not that I'm saying nothing happens in the 30s but the 20s are more common.**

**I will do some changes in the ages of the gang, and change the summary age a bit to try and accommodate the facts. Though be advised that the ages will still not really follow the real necessities needed for interns and NBA players. I will tell you once the chapters have been revised. Thank you (:**

**P.S. Audi A6, awesome-ly pretty car! Also the car driven by Zac Efron :P**


	5. Kids know best

Hey there everyone! Thanks for your reviews. I'm going to keep things short, got some updates for you about our favourite cast.

**First of all, as you all know, October 18 was Zac's birthday. It's the big 2-0 for him! Happy belated birthday Zac! So what happened? Well first Zac received some birthday cards, and later Vanessa was seen carrying birthday balloons to Zac (aw how sweet). In the evening, Zanessa were spotted together having a romantic dinner at Orso restaurant. YES they were holding hands!! They came out together all smiles, and Vanessa denied the rumour that Disney has dropped her so we can all relax! TMZ had a video of the lovely pair leaving the restaurant, and when Vanessa was waving to a fan (not sure it might be to a photographer, there were so many people), Zac immediately looked for her, said 'Are you alright **_**baby**_**?' and took her hand again. HOW SWEET!**

**Vanessa was spotted going to several audition calls. Good luck to her! And rumours of Vanessa joining the cast of 'Dare to love me' are NOT TRUE. 'Dare to love me' is a movie about Latin dancing I think, I'm not sure. Casts include Lindsay Lohan. Vanessa is also on her way to recording her second album, which should be out next year.**

**Zac and the Hairspray cast attended the Hollywood Film Festival's Hollywood Award where they awarded the cast 'Hollywood Ensemble Acting of the Year Award,' Congratulations to Zac and the cast!**

**Zac and Vanessa attended the Frederick's of Hollywood Fashion Show **_**together**_**. They were seen walking down the red carpet holding hands! I believe it's their first red carpet together publicly as a couple. TMZ had another video of that, showing Zanessa leaving together (they were still swarmed by photographers), and when they were led to a gate, Vanessa called out 'babe' to Zac to show him the way. So sweet!**

**Zac seems to be bulking up. He was seen going to a gym quite frequently. Rumour has it Zac has landed the role of 'Seventeen', a movie about a man in his mid thirties who wanted to do things over again in his teenage years, and wakes up one morning and finds out he's…17 that's right. Of course Zac will be playing the teenager. Filming of 'Seventeen' begins in December.**

**Zanessa were seen attending co-star and friend Chris Warren Jr.'s football game. **

**In some of the candid pictures, Zac wasn't wearing his love-ship ring. I won't worry too much, as based on the appearances and candid, I highly doubt Zanessa is over. Correction: Zac is now wearing his ring again!**

**Ashley seems to be doing some **_**massive**_** promoting with her CD in NYC at the moment now that she has finished filming her movie _Picture This. _From what I've heard, it is a movie produced by her and her mom.**

**It seems as though it has been confirmed that both Ashley and Vanessa _will be_ reprising their roles as Sharpay and Gabriella in HSM3!! I'm not sure if it's completely reliable, but I heard the news on US Magazine. Monique and Corbin and are in the final stages of negotiating, and Zac is also in the final stages of negotiating. As of right now I've heard nothing on Lucas, I am still considering this rumour considering we haven't heard anything from Vanessa herself, the casts or Disney.**

**That's basically about it, there were some random sightings of Zanessa like at Best Buy and stuff, but that's so far what's happening with our cast. They were also spotted together in a Beverly Hills mall on the 26****th**** shopping together.**

**IMPORTANT: No, this isn't about the cast it's about the story. As mentioned in the previous chapter, I will be changing ages to try and make it more realistic. Please be note now that Troy, Gabriella and the rest of the gang are ****24**** and NOT 20. Thank you. And don't worry, I didn't forget about their little pinkie promise.**

**Story: **A Pinkie Promise

**Author: **hugsxkisses

**Summary: **'Let's promise each other if we don't get married when we're 25, we'll marry each other' she said. He smiled, and linked his pinkie with hers. 'Deal' 14 years later, 24 years old Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are single… and looking for love.

**Pairings: **Troy/Gabriella Chad/Taylor Zeke/Sharpay

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical 1 or 2, all rights go to Disney, I am simply borrowing their characters to write my own stories.

* * *

_Chapter 5: Kids know best_

* * *

_**BOOM**_

Gabriella shot up instantly, her white and green cover sliding off her shoulders, and goose bumps rising from the shock and cold.

"What the…" she groped around her night table for her lamp, and the lamp lit up the dark room, and she rubbed her eyes, absently sliding her hand down her messy brunette locks. Outside, she heard the sound of rain drops hitting her window, and the harsh winds that rustled the trees below her apartment. Another boom and the 24 year old squeaked, jumping slightly in her bed. "Great… a thunderstorm," she groaned, keeping her lights on, and snuggling back into bed, hugging the sheets close to her. Gabriella squeezed her eyes shut as another roar of thunder rattled her head, this time louder than the last one. There was a click, a beep, and then her room was dark again.

"_Please don't tell me the electricity's out…"_ her mind pleaded as she tried to turn her lamp on again. On and off, she clicked the button, but it remained dark. _"Just my luck…"_ For the next twenty minutes, Gabriella shuffled around her bed, trying to find a comfortable spot… and couldn't, the thunder kept coming, and her mind kept coming up with the craziest ideas of what might be out there. Fed up with her mind, Gabriella got out of bed and got a thin jacket to cover her camisole before going to her kitchen to find a flashlight.

The beam of light circled around her apartment, and when she poked her head out the door, the entire corridor was dark.

"Great… and I have an 8 o'clock shift tomorrow, just great," she sighed once her door was closed and her door was shut…tightly. The more she stayed in the dark with the thundering outside, the more her mind went wild, quickly, she found her cordless, and her fingers automatically slide across a familiar number.

-

-

Troy was sleeping soundly. His covers were down by his waist, and his arms were spread out on both sides, taking up the entire bed. He would've been able to sleep all the way 'till noon if he wanted to like that, if the phone hadn't ringed. Groaning to himself, and sleepily coming up with a reasonable scolding for the person, he picked up his phone,

"This better be good, it's 3 in the morning," he grumbled irritated. There was a silence on the other side, "Chad this better not be another prank!"

"_This isn't a prank, I was there when Chad called you, actually I dared him."_ Said a soft little voice, all thoughts of the time of night (or was it morning?) now gone from his head, he straightened up as best as he could in bed.

"Gabby? What's wrong? Shouldn't you be asleep by now?" Troy asked,

"_I was… but the storm woke me up, and the apartment electricity went out," _she said in a timid voice. Troy's tired face split into a smile, of course. Gabriella had always been afraid of the dark when she was little, even worse, she was afraid of thunder storms; it always woke her up at night whenever they had a sleepover, _"So I was wondering if I could go to your place for the night?" _Troy immediately glanced at his window, and saw the fierce winds and dart like rain,

"Drive in _this_ weather? Gabby that's insane, you'll kill yourself! I won't let you." Troy said sternly. Through both his window and the phone, Troy heard another clash of thunder, and a little squeak from Gabriella, and he was wide awake. "Look, Gabby just stay at home alright? It'll be fine,"

"_Ok, sure I'll be fine,"_ said Gabriella her voice still a bit shaky, _"I'm fine, I'm 24 for god sakes, sorry for waking you Troy, see you tomorrow morning."_ And the line went dead. Troy sat in his bed for a few seconds, Gabriella's shaky voice still in his mind, a stark contrast to her usual soft, reassuring voice. Then he stood up, and walked to his closet.

* * *

"100…101…102…103…104…105…106…" Gabriella counted the stitches on her couch, her feet and legs curled underneath her. She couldn't get to sleep, and the fact that it was taking the building so long to fix the electricity didn't help, so much for having a backup generator. "I'm ok, I'm 24, I'm an adult, its fine," Gabriella said to herself aloud, besides, speaking loudly helped her mind concentrate on what ever 'monsters' that might be hiding in the corner. "It's alright…it's alright-Oh my god!" she squeaked loudly when a sudden rapping sound came from her door. Tugging her jacket close around her, she slowly walked to her door, and peeked through the peep hole on her door. It was so dark outside she could barely make out the outline of that person. She half contemplated if she should call the police. The person outside knocked on the door again, this time a little more urgently, and produced a lit flashlight, shining in his face and Gabriella swung the door open. 

"Troy!" she gasped, she stopped herself from hugging him as the 24 year old basketball player walked in, drenched from head to toe, she quickly ushered him in and closed the door, "Troy, oh my god what are you doing here? You'll catch your death out there!" Gabriella pulled him in and pushed him onto the couch, and quickly unzipped her jacket and shoved it around his shoulders, "I'll get you some towels!"

Troy had barely been in the house for five minutes before he had two towels handed to him and a stern Gabriella sitting on the table in front of him.

"Why am I sensing that you're not happy about this?" Troy asked timidly, taking her towels and drying himself,

"Why would I be happy about this? Troy Jonathan Bolton you could've gotten hypothermia like that! What if I didn't answer the door huh, you would've been standing in soaking clothes all night!"

"Well I would've used the keys, but my pockets were kind of hard to open with shaky hands-" _"Whoops wrong thing to say," _Troy thought silently,

"Exactly!" Gabriella exclaimed, glaring at him. For a moment the two best friends looked at each other, "What's in the bag?" she finally asked, gesturing to the equally soaked white bag,

"Candles," Troy said, "_Unscented_ candles," he added knowing how much it irritated her, "I knew you wouldn't have thought of candles so I picked some up on my way here," Gabriella's face softened considerably, and she stood up and hugged her best friend. Troy felt her body warmth seep through her thin camisole, and he hugged her back, welcoming both her and her warmth.

"Come on, help me light some candles, I don't think I have a lighter." Together, Troy and Gabriella shuffled through the bag until they found a small pink lighter, and setting the candles around the room, the apartment was soon alit with soft, flickering yellow lights.

"Troy?" Gabriella said a bit later. She and Troy were sitting on her couch together, and the clock read 4am. Troy looked down, "Thanks… for you know coming over, sorry about earlier, and I was just…"

"Worried about me, gotcha," Troy smiled, "You always were the more sensible one, ever since we were 10," he grinned, "Well except the time when you forced us to do a pinkie swear, that wasn't too sensible," Gabriella blushed, oddly enough she remembered the pinkie swear quite clearly. She even remembered what they were talking about too, but giving Troy a discreet look, he looked as though he didn't remember. Gabriella wasn't sure if she was glad or not to see that he had forgotten their promise but she would deal with that later.

"Yea well, you were always the rough one, diving head first into everything without thinking about it,"

"Only when it concerns you Gabriella Erin Maria," Troy retorted, "Ryan's right, Gem sounds much better, and besides, if I'm the brash one and you're the sensible one, I say we balance each other out quite nicely," he grinned, Gabriella laughed, and leaned her head onto his shoulder comfortably, "Sleep Gabby, you need to go to work early tomorrow morning," Gabriella yawned in reply, and no sooner had he said that fell asleep. Troy sat there for a few minutes, continuing to listen to the rain and thunder outside, and the sleeping brunette in his arms continued to sleep soundly against him. Reaching under the table she sat at earlier, he pulled the spare blanket she kept there, and softly draped it over them. Then, slowly, Troy fell asleep as well.

* * *

_Beep—Beep—Beep_

Gabriella groaned stretching out her arm to hit her alarm clock to stop. She hit it once… it continued to ring, so she hit it again. No use. Groaning, she slammed her hand onto what she thought was her-rather warm and soft-alarm clock.

"Will you stop hitting me?" grunted her alarm clock. Gabriella woke up with a start. No, alarm clocks _don't_ talk. It was then she suddenly realized where she was. She wasn't in her room, she was in her living room…because there was a blackout…and she was scared…so she called Troy… and Troy came over and they were on the couch…then…the alarm clock…

"Troy!" Gabriella gasped, she looked up, and saw the pained face of her best friend, one arm around her to keep her supported throughout the night, and the other arm currently rubbing his sore chest which was what she had probably assumed was her alarm clock, "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry, I thought," she burst out laughing,

"Oh this is very funny, do you always wake up this early?" he groaned, it was only 7am, and they barely got 4 hours of sleep.

"If I have an early shift, I'm sorry if my alarm clock woke you up," she apologized,

"Oh don't worry, if your alarm clock didn't, you sure did," Troy said dryly rubbing his sore chest again. Gabriella again smiled sheepishly as she pulled herself off the couch. Outside her windows were wet, but the sun was starting to peek out, and her room lamp was on, indicating the electricity finally came back while they were sleeping.

"I hope you know now that I'm here, I'm not leaving without breakfast," Troy grinned as Gabriella neatly folded their blanket, and took the wet towels and jacket from last night to the washroom,

"I would've thought you caught a cold if you didn't," she replied, "Do me a favour, can you go to my room and close my alarm?" and she shut the washroom door. Sighing amusedly to himself, Troy headed to her room and shut the ringing device, while scanning her modest little room.

"_Neat, as always,"_ Troy grinned, he was walking around the house when her phone rang, "Gabs, your phone's ringing!"

"Just answer it!"

Troy picked up her cordless, assuming it would probably be just one of the girls or the guys; after all it _was_ only 7 in the morning, "Hey,"

"_Uh, hello, Gabriella?"_ said an unfamiliar male voice. Almost immediately Troy tensed, and glanced at the closed washroom door,

"Uh no, she's not available at the moment, who's calling?" Troy asked,

"_Uh… David,"_ Troy's brain whirled, going through his mental list as to who he knew was named David, and he couldn't find any, _"Uh who is this? Gabby didn't say she had a brother,"_

"It's Gabri_ella_," Troy instantly responded, "And she has quite a few brothers actually who look out for her," Troy hoped he didn't sound as threatened as he felt. There was a click from the door, and Gabriella came back out looking more awake and her hair tied up but still in the same camisole and sweatpants. Troy gave her a beaming grin, and she stuck her tongue out at him, laughing at his ridiculous look when he went cross eyed at her in return.

"_Is that Gabriella?"_

"Who's on the phone?" Gabriella asked, walking over, Troy shrugged,

"Some guy named David, hey you promised me breakfast, I spent the entire night here I need to be fed," Troy teased, Gabriella giggled happily and gave him a quick hug,

"I promised didn't I?"

"Good, now you can answer your call while I go and—"

"Don't want to know!" Gabriella interrupted seeing him head to the washroom. Troy let out a quick chuckle before locking the door, and Gabriella shook her head amusedly at him, taking the abandoned phone, "Hello?"

"_Gabriella?"_

"David? I didn't expect you to call at 7," she laughed, David laughed on the other line,

"_Yea well, I heard you had to get your car fixed the other day, so I thought I'd give you a ride, we have the same shift after all,"_

"Oh," Gabriella could barely remember what she talked about the last time she was at the hospital, "Well that's nice of you, but I actually already have a ride, but thanks for offering,"

"_Oh well alright, I'll see you at work then?"_

"Sure, bye," and Gabriella hung up the phone. Once Troy came out, they found ingredients for an omelette, and after Gabriella had cut up the fillings they wanted (basically ham for Troy and peas and ham for Gabriella), Gabriella went to change while Troy flipped the omelettes onto plates. The best friends shared a quick breakfast before they were out the door. On their way to Gabriella's workplace, Troy suddenly said in an oh so casual voice,

"So, who's David?" Gabriella glanced up at him,

"He's another doctor at the hospital, he works with me with the kids," she explained,

"Your age?"

"Hmm… a year or two older I suppose, why are you so interested all of a sudden?" she grinned,

"You know, just wanted to know who you worked with," Troy said with an easy grin, pulling into the hospital, Gabriella was unbuckling her seatbelt when Troy covered her hand with his, "I'll pick you up after you're done, 5 o'clock sound good?" he grinned,

"Sure, saves me taking the bus to get my car," she laughed, she gave him a quick hug, before she was out of the car. Troy watched her walk into the hospital, only to be joined by another older, dark haired male half way through. Troy stayed until he saw through the glass window that Gabriella had gotten into the elevator, and the unknown male kept walking towards the cafeteria. Troy then pulled away,

"_Hmm… now what am I supposed to do for the next 9 hours…"_

* * *

As 5 o clock approached, Gabriella found herself checking the clock more often than before. While she was still watching intently at her mentor, and doing some of the children check ups herself, more than not her eyes drifted back to where the large red digital clock was, showing the time in a 24 hour format. 

"Gabby, Gabriella!" Gabriella looked up sharply to see her mentor and one of the doctors, Rachel waving for her attention,

"Yes? Sorry, zoned off for a second," she apologized, Rachel who was in her mid thirties smiled warmly,

"No worries, happens all the time. I just got a page, there's someone I need to see, and can you take care of Room 2? The children there already took their medicine, but I just want someone in there until I return,"

"Sure no problem," Gabriella grinned, putting the clip board she had unknowingly been staring at for the past 3 minutes down, and heading down the hall where noises of children came from. "Hey, what's going on here?" Gabriella laughed; the children in the room all stopped and immediately burst out in greetings,

"Dr. Montez!" "Hi!" "Are you taking care of us today?" the children all dressed in colourful hospital gowns all rushed up to her, some were too short and hugged her around the legs while others hugged her around the waist, Gabriella laughed,

"Well I'm here until Dr. Rachel can get back," she grinned, "Now come on, let's not crowd the door, I want to see how all of you are doing," Gabriella circled around the room, looking through clip boards and charts, and occasionally cooing one of the smaller kids back into bed so that they wouldn't injure themselves. As Gabriella reached the last bed in the room, she found a small boy at the age of 6. Gently picking up his clip board, Gabriella found out his name was Tommy, and he was diagnosed with cancer, almost immediately Gabriella's heart wrenched in pain slightly, seeing the sad little boy curl up in bed,

"Hello Tommy, what's wrong?" Gabriella asked kindly, sitting on the cot like bed, and gently patting little Tommy on the head. Tommy raised his little brown eyes at her,

"I'm sad," he said in a timid voice,

"Why? If you tell me maybe I can help," Gabriella smiled kindly,

"My mommy and daddy promised me they would take me to a basketball game, but then I felt sick so they took me here instead, and I really wanted to see it, I really like basketball," the little boy said sadly, Gabriella smiled,

"What team do you like?"

"Um… the one with the water in their name…" the little boy tried to describe,

"LA Lakers?" Gabriella immediately answered, at the sound of his favourite team's name, Tommy's face brightened, nodding happily, Gabriella chuckled, "How about I make you a deal Tommy, if you promise to eat your medicine, I'll take you to meet their MVP, you know what a MVP means right?"

"Mmhmm! Promise," Tommy asked, Gabriella grinned,

"Promise,"

Troy entered the semi-busy hospital, signing in, and then taking a trip up the elevator to where he was told Gabriella was. For someone who just broke up with his girlfriend, he had quite the smile on his face.

_Flashback_

_Troy had returned back home to quickly change out of last night's clothing. When he emerged from his room, he was settled comfortably in a blue sweater and comfy jeans and white socks. From there, he settled in front of his TV, and caught up with his morning doses of surfing through channels, until he realized it was 10. At his door, he heard someone inserting keys, and then struggling to open the door._

"It can't be Gabby… her lunch break isn't until 2 hours,"_ Troy thought to himself, he immediately stood up, and peered through the peep hole then swung his door opened. Melanie stood at the door, face screwed up in frustration at her attempt to open the house door,_

"_Jonathan, you honestly need to get the door fixed, it's so hard to open!" Melanie complained as she walked in, Troy looked around at her, closing the door,_

"_Mel how did you get a key?" Melanie grinned triumphantly, and walked towards him, looking up at him with her mocha eyes,_

"_I'm your girlfriend, of course I'd have a key, it was on your table next to the door," Melanie grinned, Troy frowned,_

"_You took Gabby's keys?" _

"_If they were her keys she wouldn't have left them lying around like that would she?" Melanie smirked, "and besides, it's not like she has any use for them, now that I have one, you won't have to worry about opening the door for me every time,"_

"_Mel…Melanie we've got to talk," and Troy took her by the hand, and led her to the couch. Melanie dropped onto it, and beamed at him with her best smile, her mocha eyes sparkling, what was once what Troy found to be the most attractive, did not appeal to him anymore. "Melanie, I think we should stop seeing each other,"_

"_What?"_

"_It's just that, well believe me, I really did enjoy spending time with you, and you're an amazing girl and all but… well I guess what I'm trying to say is I don't really like you…_that _way anymore." _

"_Are you breaking up with me?"_

"_Look I know this was sudden, but I still want to be friends, I mean, you're almost like a sister to me,"_

"_It's that girl isn't it?" Melanie fumed, shooting up, "That Gabriel-Gretchen girl,"_

"_Gabriella." Troy interrupted sharply,_

"_Whatever! That's not the point! It's her isn't it? She's been trying to steal you away from me every since she came!"_

"_No this has nothing to do with Gabriella!" Troy interrupted,_

"_Oh _please_! You think I don't see the way you look at her? I'm not stupid Troy Bolton!"_

_"I don't look at her differently than I do looking at Chad and the others!"_

_"Sure, if you're in love with Chad too!"_

_"I am _not_ in love with Gabriella! She's my best friend and I trust you will respect that!"_

_"Whatever! This isn't over Troy Bolton, you'll regret the day you broke up with me!" Melanie left Troy with a deep scowl, a slammed door and a stinging cheek._

_End of Flashback_

His thoughts drew back to the present when he heard a warm laugh, followed by several younger laughs, and grinned as he leaned against the door frame. Gabriella was sitting on the floor, a group of children gathered around her in a circle as she read them a story. Gently but not so quietly that she couldn't hear him, Troy cleared his throat and caused Gabriella to look up, the first thing he noticed as her perfect, chocolate mocha eyes that gleamed back at him, eyes that never failed to make him smile and feel that all was right in the world,

"You're early," Gabriella smiled,

"No you just lost track of time," he retorted nodding to the 24 hour clock. The clock read 17:13, translating it to 5:13PM and Gabriella smiled sheepishly,

"Guess I did, I was just taking care of them before Rachel came back but I guess the meeting's taking her quite a while," Gabriella smiled, standing up and brushing her pants off, "Alright, count of 3, all of you need to be in bed. 1, 2 3!" there were squeals and scrambles and then the children were suddenly gone from the floor and in their beds and Troy chuckled amusedly, "Oh, Troy I want you to meet someone," and she tugged him over to the last bed. There a shy little boy gawked up at Troy with awe filled eyes.

"Hey little guy," Troy smiled,

"Tommy, this is Troy Bolton, he plays for—"

"The LA Lakers!" Tommy squealed, "Wow, Dr. Montez you really know him?" Troy chuckled,

"Know her? I had to deal with her for more than half my life, a full 14 years of it," Troy winked teasingly, Gabriella glared at him, smacking him on the arm and Troy laughed, replying with a quick hug, Tommy grinned a toothless smile,

"Dr. Montez, are you and um, Toy," Troy sent Gabriella a glare when he heard her bad attempt at not laughing "Um, with each other? Like Mommy and Daddy are? Because Mommy always hit Daddy when he says something wrong but then daddy says its right and hugs mommy," Tommy explained. Gabriella blushed slightly and even Troy managed to redden,

"Um no, Troy and I are very, _very_ good friends," Gabriella smiled, and the 6 year old nodded, though not thoroughly convinced. "Come on, Dr. Rachel's coming soon and I have to go, I'll see you guys tomorrow alright?" the group chorused their good byes as the basketball player and the doctor left.

"Wouldn't Melanie have a fit if she heard that," Gabriella teased as they made their way to her locker, Troy grinned,

"She probably would, but I don't really care anymore, it's not like she's my girlfriend," he grinned. Gabriella looked up at him in shock for a moment, before grinning, matching his smile.

* * *

**A/N: Basically a filler, I just wanted a chapter of pure Troyella... Nothing much happened here, hooray Troy dumped Melanie! Don't think she's out of the picture **_**just**_ **yet! And don't assume Troyella will be getting together anytime soon. –Smiles- See you all again in the next chapter**


	6. Try, Try Again

Hello everyone! Again I'm going to keep things short because I have quite a lot of news about the HSM2 cast to report.

**I still haven't heard anything about Ashley and Vanessa being confirmed to have signed onto HSM3. However **_**a lot**_** of fan sites, web sites and magazines are saying so, and it's probably leaning towards the positive side. Again I still want to wait and hear from either Vanessa or Ashley themselves, or Disney or their publicists. **

**Zac won 'Favourite TV actor' in the UK kids choice award show, congratulations Zac! Zac was also seen-a week or so ago- leaving a restaurant with director and choreographer, Kenny Ortega after a meeting about HSM3. Again, Zac is in the final stages of negotiations in regards to whether or not he will do HSM3. Earlier this year, he mentioned that if the script was good, and the cast agreed, then he'd definitely love to do a third one, so fingers crossed people!**

**Vanessa, Ashley, Corbin, Monique and other cast members filmed a live performance of a revised Christmas Version of 'What time is it?' in Disneyland for the Christmas parade show. The parade is set to air sometime in December. Zac and Lucas did not show up, so Corbin sang Zac's first part, and Ashley sang both her and Lucas's part. Even Monique did some singing and they sounded great! Monique definitely improved and so did Ashley and Corbin. Of course Vanessa sounded great too and I love her outfit. It's gorgeous. **

**Vanessa and family took a day off together and went to Disneyland together (isn't it funny? A Disney star going to Disneyland…yes random, I know, but I found it ironic)! Before heading out, Vanessa left with her teddy bear in tow, and made a quick visit to Zac's before heading out with her parents.**

**It was Stella Hudgens's 12****th**** birthday last week, and Vanessa and mom; Gina Hudgens were seen going around shopping for presents. Paparazzi snapped pictures of Vanessa stopping by Basket Robbins to pick up a cute cake for Stella, then to 'Best Buy' and other shops for presents. Vanessa was also wearing a beanie (it's like… a sort of hat) that belonged to Zac. **

**Again, a lot of sightings of Zanessa, including one in a Beverly Hills Mall and out eating together, seems like they're done with keeping their relationship on the down low, since they were seen holding hands together everywhere. Again it's kind of sad how they don't have much privacy with paparazzi stalking them everywhere, but at least we still know they're going strong.**

**A TV Guide a while ago (I forgot) listed Zac and Vanessa as one of their Top 10 Power Couples in Hollywood. A little paragraph had a small description, including calling them 'High School Sweethearts' (understandable). They also called them 'the Brangelina (Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) of their generation' and 'one of the few high profile young couples'. High profile meaning every where they go, there are paparazzi taking pictures of their every move and basically tabloids are pretty interested in what they do in their spare time.**

**

* * *

**

_Chapter 6: Try, Try again_

* * *

Sunday came quickly after Troy's visit to the hospital. Actually, after that visit, he dropped by quite often, saying hi to kids, and having long conversation with Tommy. For the first little while, all little Tommy could do was stare at awe as his hero sat right in front of him, ready to have a conversation with him as if Tommy was just like him. Then five minutes into the awed staring, and a gaping mouth in the shape of a perfect O, Tommy indulged with his hero his favourite topic: basketball.

As Gabriella rotated around the hospital, she couldn't help but stay only a little longer in that particular room, a small gentle smile appearing on her face every time she watched Troy talk patiently with the young child, sometime going as far as making goofy actions trying to animate what he was trying to say.

"_He's going to make a great father some day,"_ Gabriella found herself thinking fondly. After forgetting so many times, Troy decided that it was time for Gabriella to _finally_ pick up her car after leaving it in the workshop for a few days. So when Sunday Brunch came, Troy went to pick Gabriella up at 11:30am and together headed for the car workshop.

Troy and Gabriella both arrived-albeit in separate cars-together, reaching the café where both their parents were currently awaiting their arrival. Isabella Montez, Jack and Diane Bolton were talking mildly amongst themselves when they caught sight of their kids.

"Gabby, Troy," Isabella beamed seeing her beautiful daughter walk up with her best friend. Gabriella smiled and hugged her mom, giving her a peck on her cheeks while Troy grinned, smiling his hi.

"Morning Mrs-" Troy nudged Gabriella's arm and the brunette quickly amended her fault, "I mean Diane, Jack, good morning," Gabriella said somewhat embarrassedly, sliding into the round booth with Troy settling beside her, sandwiching her between her mom and him. Troy chuckled,

"Morning Mom, Dad, Isabella," Troy said smoothly, a teasing grin appearing on his face-a grin Gabriella did not miss.

"No, nothing from you or I'm not ordering for you." Gabriella said sternly, glaring at his smile, Troy immediately dropped his teasing smile to an innocent one, which probably wasn't that much of a change.

"I'm still amazed at how easily you two can read one another," Diane Bolton chuckled,

"Who knew the only person that can control Troy would be his best friend," Jack Bolton agreed. Yes, the father and former basketball coach did have his doubts about the brunette in Troy's early years-especially in high school. But now that Troy was successful as the front man in the LA Lakers, Jack Bolton began to see what Isabella Montez and his wife had seen from the very beginning.

"That's not fair," Troy whined, putting up a show for them, "I—oh would you look at that," he amended hastily feeling Gabriella's glare on him. He sheepishly took the plastic menu and hid his face behind it, though Gabriella knew Troy wasn't really reading the menu. Whenever he came out eating with her, he never read the menu, and basically giving Gabriella the responsibility of handling their food.

"Gabby ¿cómo es trabajo?" Isabella asked her daughter, the mother and daughter quickly slipped into Spanish, the words literally rolling off their tongues, leaving the three Boltons' confused and chuckling. When Isabella burst out laughing and Troy lightly blushed and glared at his best friend, Diane asked,

"What are they talking about?"

"Isabella asked how Gabriella's work was, Gabby said it was fine and, well," Troy blushed and smiled sheepishly, "Gabby said I was quite popular with the kids, I went to visit them because one of the kids, Tommy, really like the Lakers."

"Aw that's so sweet of you Troy," Isabella smiled at the 24 year old basketball player. Troy smiled,

"Tommy's adorable, he knows about as much as I do about the Lakers, maybe even a bit more." Troy smiled recalling the tyke's excited face and non stop babbling voice.

"I never thought Troy would be so stuck on a kid, I'd hate to see how his kid would be like, considering he was quite the active child when he was little," Jack smirked, joining in to tease his son.

"I was perfectly well behaved," Troy said indignantly, drawing a quick cough and an innocent smile-which worked better on her, Troy decided-from Gabriella, "Of course compared to little Ms Perfect, I'd be quite the rebel," Troy turned to Gabriella, winking at her. Gabriella rolled her eyes, smiling, as she scanned the menu even though she already knew what he wanted.

"Still I have trouble trying to imagine Troy's children," Jack said a little while later as their food arrived. Deciding to save her best friend from tortue from his own parents and her mom, Gabriella quickly steered the conversation to another direction. The five of them slipped into comfortable conversations about how they were and how their jobs were going at the moment. In the end, Troy managed to wrestle the bill from Isabella-though it was quite close, considering Gabriella kept distracting him with her childish laugh. As his parents left and Isabella went to wait for Gabby, Troy and Gabriella took their time walking out, Gabriella's jacket in Troy's arms.

"I've got to go, I'm going to take Mami shopping before my next shift this evening," Gabriella laughed, Troy chuckled, helping her with her coat, "You have basketball practice too, so you should get going."

"Yea, I'll see you later?" Troy grinned and Gabriella nodded, reaching up to give him a hug and smiled feeling his arms snake around her waist in a tight but gentle hug,

"A little boy, messy dark hair and your eyes, and a little girl with your hair, I can see that." Gabriella whispered into his ears, her soft, soothing voice entering his brain and finding a spot to stay. She pulled back and gave him a quick peck before walking off, linking arms with her mom. Troy stayed in that spot for a little while, a grin spreading on his face.

Well, if Gabriella saw a little boy with messy dark hair and his eyes, and a little girl with his hair, then that was exactly how his future children would look like. Because the way Gabriella had said it to him was like carving it in stone. It would always be there, and nothing would change it.

* * *

"Hey Bolton!"

Troy stopped mid way down the gym. The Lakers were holding a practice in the large, private gym, and Troy had been there right after brunch with Gabriella, Isabella and his parents. In fact, despite all the drills, formation, and the suicides they had to run, Troy's smile was kept pretty constant on his face. Now walking up to Troy was one of his team mates, Michael. Michael Goldstrem was one of the Lakers' defensemen, he also happened to be Melanie's older-protective-brother.

"What's up Mike?" Troy tried to be friendly, grinning at his friend. It seemed like Michael wasn't all that happy today, and Troy definitely didn't need three tries to guess why.

"Mel said you broke up with her for another girl, is that true?" Michael demanded in a stern voice. Michael was 28, 4 whole years older than Troy and Melanie, and while he didn't have a girlfriend, he had his handful of dates. Michael and Melanie's parents had died when they were at a young age, and so Michael took the role as both parents while Melanie was younger. To say Michael was protective of Melanie would be an understatement-a drastic understatement.

"Dude you've got it all wrong," Troy began but Michael cut him off,

"Melanie came home yesterday bawling her eyes out! I care about my little sister Bolton, and I only let her go out with you because I thought you wouldn't hurt her," Michael said harshly, "It's been 5 months Bolton, 5 months and you break up with her for another girl?" Michael pushed Troy backwards,

"Look Mike it's seriously wasn't like that! There _was not_ another girl involved, I broke it off because I just don't feel that way about her anymore, I care about her too Mike, but only as a sister," Troy explained to the angry player,

"If you cared about her so much you wouldn't have hurt her!" the older player was obviously not listening to a single word Troy said, "Mel _said_ there was another person involved, some Gabriella girl, from what I've heard all _that_ girl has done is to tear you and Melanie apart. If I were you I'd just quit even _seeing_ that girl," Michael said harshly. At first, Troy understood how Michael felt, after all, Gabriella was just like his baby sister, and if anyone, _anyone_ even _dared_ to hurt a single hair on her head, Troy wouldn't even be standing there talking to that person, he'd probably go to jail for killing him. But then hearing the way Michael talked about Gabriella, something inside of Troy snapped, and he retaliated by shoving Michael harder than he had shoved Troy,

"Hey, don't talk about Gabriella like that," Troy nearly shouted, glaring at the player he use to get along with so well, "She's one of my _closest_ friends alright? You can say whatever the hell you want about me, but you leave Gabby out of this! I don't know what kind of lie Melanie told you about Gabby, whatever it was it's not true!"

"Don't call my sister a liar Bolton!"

"Then don't insult Gabriella!" The two LA Lakers player glared at each other heatedly, both defending people they treasured deeply in their hearts-though at the time, Troy did not question exactly _how_ deep Gabriella was in his heart, only running from that fact that Gabriella was one of the most important person in his entire life, and he'd be dead before anyone insulted her.

"I'll call whomever I want whatever I want!" Michael retorted. That was the last straw for Troy, the last of his nerves he left reserve for Michael finally snapped, and the next thing he knew, he literally flew at the basketball player in front of him, and in front of his coach and their team mates, the two players wrestled to the ground, ignoring the shrill of the coach's whistle.

-

-

After two hours of daughter and mother time at the mall, Gabriella arrived at the hospital for her shift at 4pm. As she walked through the lobby, and signed herself in, she couldn't help but blush and shake her head at the conversation Isabella had always brought up between the two of them.

_Flashback_

_Gabriella and Isabella strolled down a crowded mall, linked by the arms. Gabriella had never thought of Isabella as just her mom, she was her best friend, and unlike most girls, Gabriella felt completely comfortable with spilling secrets and just about anything to her mo: School, private stuff, puberty…boys. But somehow, there was always one particular boy that would always send Gabriella's cheek to heat up and stutter like a love sick teenager._

"_So, how are you and Troy?" Isabella finally brought up the popular topic after a stop at an ice cream shop. Gabriella felt the all too familiar heat on her cheeks as she looked at her smirking mom and then at her ice cream,_

"_We're doing fine mom," Gabriella sighed exasperated,_

"_Really, so you two are actually going somewhere with this relationship of yours?"_

"Friendship_ Mom, Troy and I are only best friends!" Gabriella blushed, Isabella chuckled amusedly,_

"_Fine, fine, _friendship_ then, but you two are heading somewhere with it right?"_

"_MOM, Troy and I aren't like that!" Gabriella sighed, "He's practically my brother!"_

"_I've had brothers Gabby," Isabella chuckled, "believe me when I say I never, ever blushed like you are now when I talk about my brothers, far from it."_

_End of Flashback_

As Gabriella shrugged on her white coat, someone knocked against one of the lockers and she turned around. David Santos had slightly curly dark hair, and beautiful hazelnut eyes. From what Gabriella's heard about the young doctor, he was part Greek and part…something Gabriella couldn't really remember. David was about three years older than she was, and according to most of the nurses she's worked with, was quite the catch.

"Hey David," Gabriella smiled friendly, and David flashed her a winning smile,

"Hey Gabby," David grinned, once hearing some other brown haired guy call her that. For Gabriella, being called that from someone who wasn't Troy or the rest of the gang, it felt wrong against her ears, "Night shift tonight?"

"No, evening, I'm working until 8pm, I'm only an intern, they can't work me _that_ hard," the 24 year old brunette laughed, pulling her brown curls out from the collar of the jacket,

"If I had someone as pretty as you working for me I sure wouldn't," David flirted, winking at her. Gabriella smiled weakly, not knowing exactly how to respond to that. Sure she had her share of flirting, and yea she had boyfriends in the past, and she loved to play around with the gang-especially with Troy. "So, I was wondering since—"

"**Gabriella Montez, to ER, Gabriella Montez to ER."** The summon rang from the PA system above them. Gabriella grinned, inwardly relief for the quick escape.

"Sorry, got to run, maybe we'll continue later," Gabriella said hastily, she slipped past the older doctor, and quickly left the locker room, and leaving a rather disappointed Dr. David Santos.

Gabriella had only been in ER about three times since the start of her internship. Once was when she was being introduced to the hospital-and thankfully that day wasn't a particularly busy day. The second time was when her supervising doctor-Rachel Dander-had been requested for extra help in the ER, and as Gabriella wasn't fully trained yet at the time, followed her supervisor down. This time was her third, and she was quickly waved towards the information table.

"You called me?" Gabriella asked one of the younger nurses there, the nurse nodded.

"Yea, ever heard of the LA Lakers?" the nurse asked, Gabriella raised an eyebrow at her, "Ok bad question, better question, guess who just came into ER?"

"Uh… the LA Lakers?" Gabriella guessed wildly, seeing the nurse nod excitedly Gabriella started to get worried, _"Did something happen to the team?"_ "So why am I down here?" Gabriella asked, the nurse's grin got bigger,

"You have to be seriously honest with me alright?" the nurse asked, "Ok, so two of the players just got sent in, apparently they got into some fight. One of them is the defensemen for the team, and the other one is their MVP!"

"Troy?" Gabriella automatically said, the nurse nodded,

"Yea, he said he knew you, honestly Gabriella tell me, do you _really, really_ know Troy Bolton?" the nurse asked excitedly, almost jumping in anticipation, but Gabriella had long tuned out of the conversation, her brown eyes scanning the many closed curtains, trying to find some sort of sign as to where Troy was,

"Jen, where is he, which one?" Gabriella asked Jenny the nurse urgently. Jenny pointed to the furthest one to her left, and before she could really question the brunette, Gabriella was gone with a swish of her white jacket. Speed walking down the semi-crowded aisle, she pinned on her name tag and headed for the last cubicle that was closed off, and she nearly ripped opened the green drapes. The nurse inside was treating some bruises and a few cuts, and Gabriella's heart wrenched, she stood there until the nurse noticed her presence,

"Dr. Montez," the nurse addressed the intern, Gabriella nodded slightly, eyes still focused on the shirtless basketball player who was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking elsewhere, "Minor cuts and bruises, I finished sanitizing the cuts and placed some bandages on, he'll have to take it easy and rub out those bruises," the nurse informed her. Gabriella nodded,

"I'll take it from here," Gabriella tried to sound as professional as she could, and hoped the nurse didn't realize that Gabriella was an intern and rarely appeared in ER. Fortunately, the nurse didn't, only gently placing the bandage she was wrapping on Troy down, before leaving the section and closing it off again, leaving Gabriella with Troy. The two best friends remained silent for a while, until Gabriella approached him, and heaved herself up to the bed, Troy automatically went to help her, but only winced when he moved his arms too much, causing a glare from the brunette.

"I'm in trouble aren't I?" Troy frowned, looking at Gabriella. Gabriella didn't say anything, but took up the abandoned bandage, and continued to wrap his arm with it silently. Troy took that as a 'yes', and accepted his silent treatment without word, focusing on Gabriella's small, dainty hands gently caring for his wounds. Troy could feel the tips of her fingers brushing against the skin that wasn't wrapped, and felt it shaking slightly.

"You really had me scared," Gabriella finally said, still not looking at him, "When they told me you were in here. I thought something bad had happened," she tied the bandage off with a neat little knot, and put the bandage away, hopping off the bed. With Troy sitting on the bed and her standing, they were seeing eye to eye. "Then I find out you got into a fight."

"It's not how you think it is," Troy began,

"Then how is it? Troy we're not in high school anymore, at least when we were in high school I knew where you were, but now I don't, and every time I hear something bad happening I get scared because I'm afraid of losing my best friend," Gabriella said, her voice sharper than she intended,

"Well he was insulting you!" Troy protested, Gabriella looked at him,

"He?"

"Michael Goldstrem, Melanie's older brother. She told him about us breaking up and blamed it on you, and he started insulting you at practice, you can't expect me to stand there and let him insult you like that! It's one thing taking it out on me, but I'll be damned if he takes it on you too," Troy said forcefully. Gabriella blinked in silence a couple of times, observing the bruises he had on his shoulders and chest area. Gabriella sighed,

"You're going to need some ointment for those bruises, I'll get Rachel to get one of the pharmacists to get them for you, and I'll come over tonight to help you with the ones you can't reach." Gabriella finally said, walking to him, Troy looked at her hopefully, "Troy, I'm touched you felt the need to defend me, but please, for god sakes, take care of yourself more properly! I can't always be there when things like this happen."

"_What does she mean she won't be there?"_ His mind automatically thought, his heart sending waves of fear all over him-something he's never felt before, but then all those fear disappeared when Gabriella gently covered his hand with hers, and had a small smile on her face,

"But thank you, for defending me." Gabriella finally smiled, earning a smile from Troy in return, "Let's get you out of here before reporters start showing up, and fan girls seeing you shirtless," Gabriella giggled, grabbing Troy's jersey from the bed. He shrugged it on, before hopping off the bed as Gabriella pulled the curtains aside, she shook her head when Troy winced slightly from his jumping,

"I told you to take it easy," Gabriella said in a semi stern voice, lightly smacking an area where it wasn't bruised, Troy whined, but kept his hand on the back of her neck. When Gabriella was mad, or upset with him, Troy tried to find a way to calm her down quickly. He quickly realized that kneading the back of her neck definitely helped matters, and as time passed, the action just became a natural instinct, so when Gabriella's tensed muscles finally relaxed, and a quick smile floated on her face, Troy held a quick celebration inside his mind…that is until he saw who was across from them.

Gabriella could feel Troy's hand suddenly tensing and she looked up, seeing Melanie with an older guy that sort of looked like her. She automatically assumed it was Michael.

"Bolton," Michael said with forced courtesy,

"Goldstrem," Troy forcefully returned. Melanie narrowed her eyes at Troy's hand that was hidden behind the curtain of brown locks. When Michael shifted his eyes from Troy to Gabriella, Gabriella squirmed uncomfortably, and Troy instinctively moved closer to her, and even took a small step forward to make sure Gabriella stayed behind him.

"That's her," it was more of a statement than a question the way Michael said it. It didn't need answering as Troy's eyes narrowed once more, "Just as I thought she would be, wrecking relationships,"

"Hey—" Troy started, Gabriella held him by his arm, shaking her head,

"What? Feel like another fight? Bring it on!" Michael taunted,

"Guys stop!" Gabriella called, "This is a hospital, _not_ a fighting arena, if you boys want to fight it out, take it outside, but not here!" Gabriella ordered sternly, though by the looks of Michael's bruises-which were darker than Troy's-Gabriella couldn't help but think, _"I don't need three guesses to know who'll win…again."_ "Mr. Goldstrem, Mr. Bolton, both of you need medication, and if you two will sit in the waiting area, I will personally get them for you, and find a way to escort you two out without causing a commotion," Gabriella continued with professionalism. She couldn't show any favouritism at all, not when there were people around.

After settling Troy, Michael and Melanie down, Gabriella quickly asked Jenny to keep an eye on the two male. Happy to just see _one_ of the Lakers, Jenny quickly accepted, promising to not even _blink_ to make sure they were in her line of sight. Gabriella knew that would probably be the case. After 15 minutes, Gabriella walked out again with two brown bags in her hand, one marked Goldstrem, Derek Michael, and one marked Bolton, Jonathan Troy.

"Here you go," Gabriella said, "I've called hospital security, they'll be here any minute," she said, getting ready to go. Handing Troy his bag, Gabriella held her gaze on him a little longer, looking down meaningfully at the bag that she gave him.

"Wait!" Melanie called and Gabriella turned around, and Troy immediately tensed again, ready to shoot up and put up his body as a barrier between his ex-girlfriend, and his best girl friend. "Look, I know it's all a big misunderstanding, how about I treat everyone to a swim tomorrow?" Melanie asked sweetly, aiming most of her sentence at Troy then at Gabriella, "Our apartment complex has a great pool and it's pretty private, so how about tomorrow, at noon? Jona-I mean _Troy_ should be able to get to my house, and he can drive Gabriella too. You do remember how to get there right? After all you've been over for quite a lot of times," Melanie asked in sweet innocence. Troy nodded tightly, and glanced at Gabriella who looked quite surprised,

"I…sure I guess," Gabriella said slowly looking at Troy,

"_We'll_ both be coming," Troy said indicating both him and Gabriella. Gabriella smiled briefly,

"Well I need to get back to work, have a good day," Gabriella said. She discreetly squeezed Troy's shoulder slightly before heading off again. Melanie followed the petite brunette with her own sharp mocha eyes, a small sly smile on her face,

"_If there's one thing I know that she doesn't… is what a guy wants, and how to win a guy back,"_ Melanie thought to herself, her mind going through her collection of swimwear.

Troy, however, opened his medication bag, where a tube of ointment was in a box with a letter attached to it. Quietly, he took it out, and read it behind the bag,

_**Troy Jonathan Bolton,**_

_**This better be the last and only time I see you here that does not involve you buying me dinner or lunch! Honestly, please take more care of yourself, it's amazing how you've lasted so long with your body still in tact (you can thank me later).**_

_**I'll be coming by tonight around 9pm, and I remember you have quite the pasta and tomato sauce collection.**_

_**Until then, **_**please**_** try to at least give your body a rest.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Gem**_

* * *

**A/N: Aw isn't that sweet? Another Troyella chapter! Again, **_**no**_** Troy and Gabriella DO NOT have any idea that they're really in love with each other. As of right now, Troy is thinking of Gabriella as his **_**very, very **_**close and personal best friend and vice versa. So what is Melanie planning? And I will be adding the rest of the gang in again, but I loved having the last few chapters dedicated to Troyella!**

**I also made my own version of an alternate HSM2 trailer, it's a bit more dramatic and shows the dramatic side of the movie. Please check it out, the URL is on my profile!**

Translation: (I am in now way good at Spanish, I'm taking French, not Spanish LOL, so if my translation is wrong, I apologize)

¿cómo es trabajo: How is work?


	7. I'll be there

Back again! Quite a lot of things happened so we'll get to it!

**The HSM2 cast attended the American Music Awards (AMA)!! Well actually only Vanessa, Ashley, Monique, Ryne Sanborn and Kaycee Stroh attended, Corbin, Lucas and Zac couldn't make it. The girls look GORGEOUS!! Congratulations to the cast for winning 'Best Soundtrack', they totally deserved it!**

**The DVD version of High School Musical 2 is now out in the US! The cast premiered the release at El Capitaine, and this time, EVERYONE was there, meaning Zac, Vanessa, Lucas, Ashley, Corbin and Monique plus everyone else all attended the release! Zac looked so hot and Vanessa looked absolutely gorgeous! The even wore matching leather jackets too! Talk about being in love. During the red carpet, Zanessa were only interviewed only a couple of times because they were trying to keep out of the lime light, since Zanessa are now such a high profiled couple.**

**During the premiere, Extra got the chance to interview Vanessa. It seems like ALL of the casts are pretty much confirmed that they will appear in the third and last movie for the HSM franchise, High School Musical 3, which will have a theatrical release. Vanessa said that they are all still working some bits and pieces out, but it is quite positive that all the casts will be reprising their roles. Director and Choreographer Kenny Ortega has also hinted that they will be introducing new characters into the movie, and mixing things up for the third one!**

**Both Vanessa and Ashley are in the works of making their second album. Vanessa was seen leaving her Hollywood Recording Studio, and during the press conference in the AMAs, she said she has laid down a couple of songs, saying her second album is a bit more mature, a little more soulful, jazzy and R&B, saying 'it's a side no one has seen before'. The CD is presumably going to be released next year around mid 2008 a bit after HSM3 comes out. I don't know about Ashley's CD. **

**Vanessa is ALSO looking through some roles in movies. She says that there may be a chance she will be working on a movie **_**prior**_** to working on HSM3. Zac is also working on a movie before working on HSM3. He was seen leaving the gym and brushing up on his basketball skills quite often. It is pretty much confirmed that he WILL be starring in the upcoming movie, 'Seventeen', which is about a man who wishes he could relive his teenage years, and wakes up one morning at the age of 17. Shooting begins this December.**

**Vanessa brushed away rumours about her and Zac's relationship. In an interview, she talked about her second album which would be more mature. She was also asked about the scandal that happened a few months ago and the internet chats about it, she replied saying she won't let that get to her (she's already apologized people!). When asked if her and Zac's relationship was for 'publicity', she denies it, saying 'she knows what is real and what is fake'. 'Atta girl Vanessa!**

**There are bloopers from the HSM2 Extended Edition, and it's SO funny! There are a few Zanessa moments (including a blooper showing the kiss!). It is on my savefile for you to download, but seriously guys go buy the DVD!**

**Story: **A Pinkie Promise

**Author: **hugsxkisses

**Summary: **'Let's promise each other, if we don't get married when we're 25, we'll marry each other' He smiled and linked his pinkie with hers 'Deal'. 14 years later, 24 years old Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are single... and looking for love.

**Pairings: **Troy/Gabriella Chad/Taylor Zeke/Sharpay

**Disclaimer: **I do not own HSM1 or 2, the plot or any of their characters. I am simply borrowing them from Disney to create my own little fantasy stories.

* * *

_Chapter 7: I'll be there_

* * *

_"So wait, _she_ invited you and Troy over for a swim?"_ said Sharpay's voice over the speaker phone. Gabriella sighed again, 

"Yes, she did-Troy stay still!" Gabriella scolded again for god knows how many times. It was nearly 11:30am, and Gabriella was currently sitting cross legged on Troy's sofa, with Troy's bare back in front of her. His speaker phone was on where Sharpay and Taylor's voice was projecting from.

"I will if you didn't press so hard!" Troy whined,

"That's the only way to heal bruises!"

"Then forget it, I don't want them to heal!"

"Troy-no sit!" Gabriella ordered sternly, her dainty hands pressing hard against Troy's broad shoulders, forcing the basketball player to stay seated on his sofa. On the phone, Taylor and Sharpay's roar of laughter made Troy settle down into a quiet huff.

_"You two are too much, Gabs maybe you should just move into his house, the number of times you've been there,"_ Taylor snickered, Gabriella smirked,

"I should, shouldn't I? So I could keep him on track," Gabriella laughed, "Are you two there yet?" Gabriella had called 10 minutes ago, asking the two girls to go into her apartment and grab a pair of swim suit from her closet. After leaving the hospital last night, Gabriella went straight to Troy's house where-as she had hinted-Troy had managed to create a fairly edible plate of pasta with tomato sauce without burning down his house or setting off the fire alarm. After a quick dinner, Gabriella ordered Troy into his bathroom so he could take a shower, and she could apply the ointment onto his bruises. By the time Gabriella had finished and Troy had ran out of complaints, it was nearly 10pm, and the weather had decided it was a good day to deliver one hell of a rainstorm, so Gabriella was stuck in Troy's house for the night.

_"Relax, we're almost there, just trying to find a parking space,"_ said Sharpay, _"Which level are you on again?"_

"Level 10, number 817," Troy answered instead, wincing when Gabriella pressed on a particular sore spot,

_"Gee thanks Gabriella, wow your voice got deep," _Sharpay teased. Gabriella and Troy heard whoever was driving turn off the engine of the car and open then closed the door again.

"There should be a spare key on top of the ledge of the door, underneath the middle small plant," Gabriella instructed,

_"Got it, we'll be over in a few minutes,"_ Taylor said with a bit of shuffling. Gabriella thought she heard a bit of a scheming sound in her best friend's voice, but thought better to ask. The line was then cut, and Gabriella reached to turn the phone off, and taking the moment, Troy turned his head over to look at the brunette,

"Are we done yet?" he whined, Gabriella smiled, shaking her head at his child like behaviour. She sat back up right, pulling down the big grey t-shirt she had borrowed from Troy the night before. While the t-shirt managed to reach down to a little above her knees, she liked the t-shirt because it had the quote 'You and Me has no I'. She distinctively remembered buying this t-shirt with Troy the year he was accepted into the LA Lakers, and now, every time she spent the night, she'd grab the t-shirt to use and soon, pretty much only she used it.

"No we're not, now lie on your stomach you big baby," Gabriella laughed as Troy obeyed, Gabriella kneeled beside the couch, and continued applying the ointment, pressing every few minutes, and feeling Troy's muscles tense and release every time,

"Ow that hurts!" he whined, his left hand shooting up and grabbing her wrist, Gabriella sighed,

"Well this will teach you not to get into a fight next time," she scolded again, gently prying his hand off hers, and finishing up her rubbing. After the last of the bruises had been applied with ointment, she capped the tube of cream and placed it onto the table next to them. Troy remained on his stomach, and feeling a little bit bad about the bruises, Gabriella rubbed her hands together softly, and placed them on each of his shoulders, and gently kneaded his muscles there, massaging the area. Almost immediately, the muscles beneath her fingers relaxed,

"You know, I don't have to go, Melanie probably just wants you to go." Gabriella said while massaging his shoulders, "Try giving it another chance, maybe-"

"No, Gabby I've told you already," Troy interrupted, he stopped her massaging, as comfortable as it felt, and turned himself around so that his he was facing her, "We said we would go together today, and I have absolutely no interest in getting back with Melanie, it's over, and there is no way I would consider, not after how her brother insulted you," Troy said seriously,

"But..."

"Unless you don't want to go," Troy gave her a silly smile, "If you don't then by all means keep on doing that massaging, because it seriously feels amazing," Gabriella laughed, and slapped his arm, standing up bare footed.

"Come on, get up," she said, offering a hand, Troy took it, and when Gabriella was just about ready to help pull him up, he pulled her down, and she toppled onto him, tangling them in flinging arms and legs, "Troy Jonathan Bolton! That was unbelievable of you! You could've gotten hurt-no stop moving, we're going to--"

CRASH

"--fall..." Gabriella winced as they both hit the carpet floor. Gabriella looked down and smirked at Troy's pained face, "Thanks for breaking my fall though,"

"You're welcome," Troy replied in a painful and sarcastic grimace. The doorbell rang, and Gabriella stood up, brushing the long t-shirt off before going to get the door and leaving Troy to pull himself off of the ground,

"One swim suit, brought and delivered," said Taylor, giving Gabriella a bag. Gabriella laughed, thanking them as Troy came up from behind her, seeing the two girls at the door,

"Hey Tay, hey Shar," Troy grinned, the two girls laughed,

"Hey yourself. Good morning?" Sharpay teased, eyeing Gabriella's large t-shirt and Troy's lack of a t-shirt,

"Yea, great way to wake up with having someone healing your bruises by stepping on them," Troy said, Gabriella glared at him,

"Get something on, we need to leave soon," Gabriella said. Troy shrugged, bade Sharpay and Taylor farewell, and disappeared into the corridor while Gabriella let Taylor and Sharpay in, "Thanks guys, I didn't want to go out and buy one just for this one swim,"

"No problem, you had a few so we took the liberty to pick one we liked," Taylor winked at Sharpay, Gabriella learned from their high school years never to question a wink like that because it would often lead to very embarrassing situations.

"Do you guys want anything to drink?"

"Neh, we're going to be heading out. We left Zeke and Chad back at my house, and my kitchen will either be empty or burned down," Sharpay laughed, "By the way, you and Troy? How's it going?"

"Shar!" Gabriella said, "Don't you have a kitchen to save?"

"Denial, mmhmm always the first step," Taylor nodded her head like an expert, "We promised not to say anything more about it, but seriously Gabs, you're smart, think about it."

"I did, Troy and I are best friends, best friends since we were 5!" Gabriella exclaimed, Sharpay and Taylor nodded, not quite believing her, but not contradicting her either,

"Alright, we get it. Anyway, you two have a good swim, and make sure Troy's near something soft that could break his fall after you come out," Sharpay winked, the two girls laughed, and left quickly before Gabriella could work up another explanation for them. Peeking into the bag Taylor handed her, Gabriella groaned,

"You're kidding me..."

* * *

On the 13th floor of an apartment complex, Melanie stood in front of her opened closet; hand on her waist, and sharp brown eyes scanning her clothes. Michael knocked on her door, and she turned to look at him. Michael still bore bruises, and since Melanie didn't really have time to help him put what ever ointment Gabriella had assigned to him, they looked darker than they had yesterday. 

"Sorry Mike, I'll help you put the ointment on tonight," Melanie promised, Michael shook his head,

"I know how to do that by myself," he said, "What are you doing Mel? You _still_ want to get back with that Bolton?"

"I know how guys think Mike, he's just confused. He probably didn't even want to break up with me, besides it _is_ training season isn't it?" Melanie said, she fingered through a couple of hangers, and then smiled as she pulled one out, "And if he was confused, he won't be after this." Melanie smirked.

It was almost 12:30pm by the time Troy and Gabriella had arrived at the apartment complex Michael and Melanie lived in via Troy's Audi. When Troy had came out, changed into a t-shirt, and a pair of trunks, Taylor and Sharpay had just left, and Gabriella was looking into the paper bag that held her swim suit, her face growing slightly red, looking annoyed and...embarrassed? Once Gabriella realized Troy had came out, she gave him a flash of a quick smile, and brushed past him to the washroom-his guess was to put on what ever Taylor and Sharpay had picked out. When she came back out, she was still blushing, but Troy thought she looked amazing. She had a petite, pink t-shirt on and a flow-y, semi-transparent dress on to cover what she was wearing underneath. Once they got their things and gotten into Troy's car, it was noon.

"If he even _looks_ at you wrong, we're out of there," Troy said in a serious growl as they rode the elevator to the 13th floor. Gabriella glared at him; sometimes he could be so protective!

"Troy, I'm the same age as you are, I'm not little,"

"I'm not saying you are, but compared to Michael and me, you're down right tiny." Troy said, "Look Michael's trying to look out for his little sister, I'm trying to look out for my best girl friend, there's nothing wrong with that,"

"There isn't, just don't go over board," Gabriella said seriously as the elevator _dinged_ at their arrival of the floor. As they approached the apartment, Gabriella touched Troy's arm, "behave," she said sternly, Troy didn't answer, but nodded for her sake, but even as the door swung opened, he kept his teeth clenched.

"Troy, Gabrielle, it's good to see you!" Melanie said with false cheer. Gabriella smiled kindly, removing her hand off of Troy's arm and not noticing Melanie's eyes sharply going to her hand before flying back,

"It's Gabriella," Troy said stonily, again, Gabriella placed her hand on Troy's hand, training her chocolate brown eyes on him, Troy stared back defiantly with his ocean blue ones. Melanie stood at the door between them, watching the two of them stare at one another, though she was quite sure the two of them before her were communicating silently to one another. Melanie's assumption was confirmed when Troy's shoulder slumped from his previously tense state into a defeated state, as he let out a sigh. Melanie watched Troy squeeze Gabriella's hand before Gabriella offered Troy a small smile and let go of his hand,

"It's alright, they mean the same thing," Gabriella smiled, behind Melanie, Michael appeared behind his younger sister, and for a second he froze in place, seeing the brunette he had seen yesterday at the hospital, and only generated hate from him. Oh but that was _before_ he saw her in the outfit she was in. He could only imagine how she would look like in a swim suit.

_"Whoa, is she really the same person?"_ Michael thought absently as his eyes unconsciously trailed down Gabriella's petite curves and body. Feeling an intense glare on him, Michael looked up to match the glare of Troy, who moved possessively towards the tiny brunette beside him. Michael smirked, ok so maybe this swim wasn't that bad of an idea, "Well, instead of just standing there, let's get on down to the pool, I talked with the manager in the hotel, and he said he was OK with letting us use the pool for this time,"

"That's convenient," Gabriella smiled appreciatively making Michael flash her his winning smile, Melanie knew exactly what her brother was doing, and couldn't help but inwardly cheer for him as well. After all, he _was_ her brother, and without that woman in her way, Troy would definitely see things clearly again. However, Troy also knew what his long time team mate was doing, and couldn't help the growing flame that burned in his gut, "Someone else who likes to abuse his privileges as a NBA player," Gabriella continued, shooting a teasing look at Troy, Troy only grinned at her, his eyes glowing with mirth and a hint of triumph as the smile that once graced Michael's face was replaced with one that seemed forced and uncomfortable.

"Let's get going then," Troy said smiling as he grabbed both his and Gabriella's bag in his hands, Michael and Melanie nodded, going in to get their own bags before coming out again and Michael locked his apartment up safely. Then he led them to the elevator where it brought them to the Lobby level, and guided them through a lavishly decorated corridor, and into an empty pool complete with Jacuzzi and a sauna. Gabriella, who hadn't swam in quite a while, gulped nervously at the deep end of the pool, and Troy, noticing her obvious discomfort, comforted his best friend, and winked at her, "Don't worry, I _think_ you can touch the ground as long as you stay in the shallow end," he teased, mockingly looking down at her. Gabriella just glared at him, following him to a bench where he dropped both their bags. Michael and Melanie settled on the bench next to Gabriella, and Michael immediately peeled off his wife beater, revealing a well toned body, obviously showing how the many hours in the gym had done wonders for him.

Troy also took off his t-shirt, leaving the jock in a pair of black swim trunks with silver lines on the side, Melanie immediately followed, revealing her curvy body in a two piece, pink bikini, the top of the bikini hugging her in a tube top style. Melanie sauntered to the pool, swaying her hips only for the man she was trying to win back. Boy was she disappointed to realize not only did Troy _not_ notice her change in clothing; his eyes weren't even on her! Melanie's frown turned into a scowl, seeing both men in the pool eyeing the petite brunette who also shed her top, leaving her in a modest bikini top, a string tying around her neck, and a lop by her collar bone to tie it to the rest of the top. It was black also, and when she took off her dress, revealed a matching bottom. Gabriella blushed.

Troy had to kick himself for checking his best friend out like that. This _was_ Gabriella, his best friend since forever, he already knew she was pretty, in fact he thought she was absolutely gorgeous and beautiful-something he's never failed to tell her when ever her natural self doubt would arise. It took them quite a while to actually get into the pool, considering how protective Troy was and how mad Melanie was. But eventually they did, and the four of them just waded around the shallow ends, warming up.

"C'mon Gabby," Troy chuckled, swimming around the small brunette, "I know you're good at swimming, remember when we were 8, you were the one who dragged me into the pool,"

"Only because you thought the water came from the ocean, and mutated sharks would be hiding in there," Gabriella retorted the embarrassing story, laughing aloud and her laugh ringing and echoing the pool.

"Mike, do something!" Melanie hissed, glaring at the two by the side, Michael nodded,

"Hey Bolton, let's play a game! We have two beautiful ladies here, why don't we have a contest to see who wins? Here to the end and back, first one wins, winner gets to race me." Michael said triumphantly, noting the brunette's slight jolt at the idea and gave Gabriella a full smile. Melanie smiled at her brother's antic; she knew this pool like the numbers on her credit card. Troy seemed hesitant, the brotherly side of him wanted to protest the idea, saying that Gabriella might not be comfortable, but another side-a side Troy had not yet determined just yet-was telling him it was because he _knew_ Gabriella would have a greater chance of winning, and Troy's 'unknown' side did not hold any comfort at all when he visualized his Gabby racing with Michael.

"Go on, I haven't seen you race in a long time," Troy finally said to her, giving her an encouraging smile. He wanted to see Gabriella have some fun, and besides, _if_ anything happened, some fresh bruises would look great with Michael's current ones. As hesitant as Gabriella felt, the smile Troy gave her warmed her, and she smiled, nodded slowly and going to stand beside Melanie above the pool, who already took her place

Acting as referee, Michael stretched out his arm,

"3…2…1 go!" he yelled. The two girls dived as one and both their bodies slid under the water smoothly. Troy concentrated his eyes on the smaller one, and felt a proud smile on his face as she surfaced first, and did a smooth transition into a perfect free style. Both girls slide through the water, their mind concentrating on the continuous pattern, kick, kick stroke, breathe, stroke, and repeat. Seeing the end, Gabriella flipped around under water, and pressed her feet against the wall, and pushed back. Melanie's head bopped up to the top as she finally reached the end, and nearly screamed in frustration at the brunette who was swimming away. Not willing to lose, Melanie swam full force, towards her, quickly coming up to the brunette. Gabriella only had a second to turn around to see the speeding swimmer come up next to her, and the next thing she felt was someone pulling at her leg. Letting out a quick gasp that echoed around the room, the muscles in her foot suddenly tensed, and from Troy's view, Gabriella disappeared under the water.

Melanie reached the finishing point in triumph, fully expecting Troy's awed face, and him jumping into the pool, swim to her, and take her by the hand, apologizing for his stupid action of dumping her. She got one thing right; Troy did jump into the pool, but not towards her. The athletic male sped to the spot he saw Gabriella disappear from, and he too, disappeared under, coming up again holding the petite brunette against him, and swimming for the edge. Troy pulled himself up, the water sliding off his body and immediately pulled Gabriella up with him, gently laying her onto the floor, the brunette's brown locks wet and matted against her body, and her eyes closed.

"Gabby, stay with me, c'mon," Troy whispered urgently, brushing her wet locks away from her face, and brushing his thumb against her cheeks, "Please, Gabby, please be ok." Troy said frightened, his shaky voice betraying his feelings. Not even thinking, feeling completely natural and compelled to do so, Troy swooped his head down, and locked his lips with Gabriella's, blowing his air into her body, his right hand clutching her non-moving ones desperately, praying, hoping it would work. Troy pulled back, and remembering what Gabriella taught him a few years ago, performed what he hoped would be correct CPR.

That one minute was the longest minute in Troy's life. He felt Melanie and Michael come up behind him, but Troy didn't care as he tilted Gabriella's head back, pushed his lips against hers again, and re-performed his actions. When the coughing from Gabriella came, and her harsh gasps came out, it was the best thing Troy's ever heard, and swiftly drew Gabriella's shaking body against his.

"You had me so scared!" Troy breathed in relief, almost on the brink of tears feeling Gabriella's harsh breath against his skin, and her small arms weakly going around him. He stroked her brown curls, "Don't you _dare_ do that to me again, you hear? You are never, ever going near any water without me there," Troy said seriously, pulling back and looking directly into Gabriella's chocolate eyes. Gabriella nodded, tears streaking down her face at her own right, "Are you alright? What happened?" he asked softly, brushing her tears away,

"I-" Gabriella gave a swift look up at Melanie before looking at Troy, praying Troy did not catch that brief break; it sort of worried her when she couldn't tell if the frown was because he _did_ catch the small action or if it was because she took a pause in her sentence, "I got a cramp, it just…came," she finally said quietly.

"Where?"

"Excuse me?" that wasn't an answer she expected,

"Where was the cramp?" Troy said softly, Gabriella motioned to the slightly sore area of her right calf, and Troy bent down by her leg, and his hands much softer than they would be playing basketball, started to knead her calf. For the first few seconds, Gabriella winced, feeling the hardened muscles by the gently presses from Troy's fingers, but slowly the pain subsided.

"Here I'll help," Michael said, scurrying over, but Troy stopped him with a glare,

"No, I've got her, we should get going," Troy said shortly, Troy looked down at Gabriella, who sat there with her leg stretched and her tears dry as she looked back up at him, knowing exactly what he was planning to do,

"No, I can walk," Gabriella said stubbornly, "No Troy, the cramps almost gone, I don't need someone to carry me," the stubborn 24 year old brunette said, making a move to stand up. When she wobbled unstably on her legs, Troy was immediately by her side, making a compromise, and draped his right arm around her waist, and guiding her to the chair where their bags were.

As the two walked back to the couch, Melanie glared at their retreating backs, her hand on her waist. Not once, not even _once_ did Troy comment on her swim wear. Watching Troy curl his arms tightly around Gabriella's small waist and hugging her tight against him, Melanie had a thought,

_"He never held me like that."_

* * *

"If you're not going to go to the hospital, at least stay here where I can watch you," Troy instructed sternly from outside his guest room/Gabriella's room. After stubbornly refusing to go to the hospital 'just for a cramp', Troy compromised and brought the brunette back to his house, where she was now changing behind the doors, and he was standing outside the room, with his arms crossed and waiting impatiently for her to open up. Slowly the door creaked opened, and Troy stepped in, seeing Gabriella walking with a slight limp back to the bed by the wall, and slipping her tiny body inside it. Troy took his seat on the edge of the bed, 

"You didn't _just_ get a cramp did you?" he asked,

"What?"

"I know you Gabby, you're fit, really fit, you go the gym at least twice a week if you can, you eat healthy, you stretched before you swam, there was no way you could've gotten a cramp that easily."

"Troy,"

"Melanie pulled you down didn't she?" his voice was laced with anger,

"Troy, leave it alone."

"You almost drowned Gabby!"

Silence. Troy sat, waiting for her to say something smart that would make him automatically surrender. Something to say he was wrong, and that she _did_ get a cramp, even admitting Melanie did pull her down, but convince him with her chocolate eyes, and adorable smile to not do anything about it. But Gabriella didn't, all she did was sit there, and not looking at him, and all of a sudden, Troy could see her at 5 years old again.

"What's wrong?" he said softly. Gabriella wasn't even putting up a fight about how she wasn't a baby or a little girl, and while it made life easier, Troy wasn't happy with how obedient she was, "Don't try to lie to me Gabriella Erin Maria, I know you too well to think you'd go to bed without uttering a single complaint or not put up a good fight." Gabriella knew she was busted, it was rare that Troy would call her 'Gabriella', and even more rare for him to use her full name.

"When I was in the pool," Gabriella admitted softly, "When I… almost drowned, that was the second scariest moment in my life. All the training I went through in med school and in the hospital-gone, in seconds. I didn't even know what to do."

"Gabby…"

"I seriously thought that I would drown. I couldn't move my leg, and it seemed like no one realized," Gabriella said in a quiet voice. Could she tell him that the scariest moment she had in her life was also during the swim? When she couldn't get back to the surface, and had thought that Troy had completely forgotten about her, engrossed in Melanie's victory, and didn't realize his best friend didn't arrive yet? Could she tell him that in all her 24 years of living, she felt the most relieved when he _hadn't_ forgotten about her, and she felt his arms around her within seconds of losing consciousness?

"I'm always here for you," Troy said quietly, pulling her towards him in a side hug, "I'll always be here for you Gem," he said soothingly, brushing her hair. Gabriella smiled back, and laid herself down onto the bed, allowing Troy-this once-to tuck her in, then he leaned onto her forehead, and gave her a soft kiss, "I'll see you when you wake up," he said. Troy quietly slipped out of the room once he had seen Gabriella fall asleep, then closed the door and prepared to make some phone calls to his friends.

In Gabriella's dream, she was back at the pool. She had almost lost consciousness, surrendering to the blackness that was edging into her vision. Gabriella smiled in her sleep. It was quite some dream she had when she was unconscious at the pool.

In her dream, Troy had kissed her. Twice.

* * *

**A/N: Aw so many Troyella moments! YES, if any of you are wondering, this is THE END of Melanie!! (Party!) Aww see how Troy and Gabriella's relationship are deepening? The rest of the gang's being too left out, so I will be adding them back in the next chapter :). Review!**


	8. Truth be told

Wow has it been that long since I've updated? I'm so sorry! I know the story seems to be going pretty slowly right now, but I promise things will get better… or will it get worse?

**Zac has now begun shooting his new movie '17' in sunny Southern California. **

**Even though Zac is in Southern California, the lovely couple still had time to share a cute little day together. It was quite cold-weird weather for Southern California-that day, and the couple stayed at Zac's for most of the time, but Zac-being the gentleman he is-drove Vanessa home and said good bye, but he dropped by again later on-for another good bye probably?-before he headed for the gym, then to the set of '17'. **

**Zac was chosen as #93 on Empire's top 100 Sexiest Movie Stars of all time. Whoo go Zac! **

**Apparently, it seems like **_**all**_** the casts are now pretty solid in doing the third movie. Kenny Ortega says that the third movie will probably be the last for this cast and crew. Vanessa spilled in an interview that the third movie will probably center on the Wildcat's senior year. Director Kenny Ortega said that they will probably be returning to the high school to film the feature film. The movie is expected to begin shooting in Utah once more in February and released sometime in later 2008.**

**How will they shoot a movie now that Sharpay seemed to have accepted Troy and Gabriella? Plus -if the ending scene was any indication- now the blonde drama queen is now dating Zeke Baylor? Well Kenny Ortega mentioned that this time they will be adding some other characters to mix up the fun a bit. He refrained from saying anymore, keeping the real plot and idea closed until next year.**

**Congratulations to Vanessa for passing her driver's test!! Last week Vanessa was seen taking her driver's test-and passed with flying colours! The 18 –soon to be 19- years old went to have her ID taken with her mom at the mall, and was seen driving in her mom's Toyota Camry a few days later. Hmm I wonder what her car selection will be. Maybe an Audi like Zac? **

**Vanessa's birthday is coming up! It's on December 14! She'll be turning 19 this year. **

**Vanessa is currently in Washington. She had a rehearsal earlier on this week to prep for her performance on the Christmas TNT special. Other performers included Ne-Yo, Katherine McPhee and much more. From what I've heard, Vanessa will perform two solo songs on stage, and one song in a group with the rest of the performers. According to someone who attended the rehearsal, Vanessa sounds amazing! Be sure to catch her opening YOUR Christmas Holiday on December 12.**

**In the last chapter, I said that the HSM2 extended edition is out. I was WRONG! I apologize! The DVD will be out on December 11; won't that make an awesome Christmas present?**

**Story: **A Pinkie Promise

**Author: **hugsxkisses

**Summary: **'Let's promise each other if we're not married when we're 25, we'll marry each other' he smiled and linked his pinkie with hers 'Deal' 10 years later, 24 years old Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are single… and looking for love.

**Pairings: **Troy/Gabriella Chad/Taylor Zeke/Sharpay Ryan/Kelsi/Jason

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical 1 or 2 or any of its characters and/or plot. Disney owns them, if I did Troy and Gabriella would've kissed way before the second movie.

* * *

_Chapter 8: Truth be told_

* * *

Gabriella didn't really know what time it was when she fell asleep with Troy by her side. But when she woke up, the room was empty, dim, and the light that filtered through the shut windows were only enough for her eyes to see the rough outlines of the objects in the room. It took the brunette a few minutes for her still groggy mind to finally piece together where she was and what she had been doing there. Outside, there were shuffling feet-of possibly more than one person? 

Sitting up, Gabriella pulled down the t-shirt that had ridden up during her sleep in time for the door to open, and for two girls to step in,

"Oh you're awake!" Sharpay smiled, coming in with a tray of soup with Taylor bringing the end, "Good that means I won't have to wake you up,"

"And trust me you do not want to know what her idea was," Taylor laughed. One of the girls switched on the lights, and Gabriella's eyes automatically shut itself in reaction, the bright light a huge contrast to the dim room that she was in moments ago, her best friends took their place on either side of her,

"You made it?" Gabriella let out a small smile, the delicious aroma of the vegetable soup reaching her nose and to her stomach,

"No, Troy did," Taylor smirked,

"Troy? Wait is this from some canned soup thing?" Gabriella was taken back,

"No, he made it himself. He called us a few hours ago and told all of us to come over and when I did, he was already in the kitchen making it. Mind you he did look pretty helpless with the knife chopping up some cabbages and stuff," Sharpay laughed. Gabriella felt instantly warmed, touched by Troy's generosity.

"_Why are you so surprised for? He's your best friend!"_ his mind cried in her mind, Gabriella blushed slightly, why _was_ she so surprised? She had known Troy did have some sort of cooking ability, but the fact that he would go all the way as to make soup from scratch touched the deepest corner of her heart.

"You better eat it, he's expecting a full out report from us," Taylor giggled, the girls placed the tray that held the soup gently on Gabriella's lap and stood up, "Zeke's outside trying to help Troy make dinner, so we should start going out and make sure he's not threatening Troy with a knife,"

The two left the brunette alone once more, the steaming soup wafting even more delicious aroma to her, and her stomach growled. Not even a minute had passed when Taylor and Sharpay had left when the door opened again, and the master of the house appeared, his hair slightly dishevelled and his face flushed,

"Hey you," he grinned, pulling the rest of his body out from behind the wooden door. Gabriella was ready to reply his greeting, but the only noise that came out of her mouth was a gasp, a squeak, and then full out laughter. The tall basketball jock had his normal grey t-shirt and shorts on, but covering more than ¾ of it was a frilly baby blue apron Gabriella recognized as Sharpay's present for him almost two years ago, when Troy had first bought his house. The laughter only got worst when Troy crossed his arms across his frilly apron-ed chest in an attempt to look cross at her,

"I-I'm so sorry!" Gabriella covered her mouth her cheeks flushed with laughter and her eyes sparkling in delight. As much as Troy tried to be mad and look upset at her, he couldn't bring himself to. How on earth was he supposed to look mad at his best friend when her tanned cheeks were tinged with such a rosy red? Or how her perfect chocolate eyes glittered up at him, like a clear brown window to her heart? Or how she looked so adorably innocent yet incredibly beautiful and sexy in his t-shirt—

"_Wait a minute where did that come from?"_ Troy's mind screeched to an immediate stop, the last line of thought cut off when he realized exactly what he was thinking. The blush he felt growing inside of him must've begun to appear in his cheeks, because Gabriella's voice interrupted his own confused thoughts,

"Troy you're as red as this soup you made me," Gabriella said in a teasing voice. Troy knocked himself out of his thoughts, and gave his best friend a quick grin,

"Well I didn't think you'd actually try it, that's why Zeke's outside making us dinner right now," Troy shrugged, walking over in all his apron glory. Automatically Gabriella shifted over, allowing Troy a seat beside her even though the queen sized bed gave more than enough room for the jock to sit.

"Thank you," Gabriella said sincerely, picking up the spoon from the tray, and dipping it into the now semi-hot soup. Taking the spoon and gingerly tasting it with her lips, she fought the urge to scrunch up her nose at the over dose of salt, swallowing the extremely salty and hot liquid down her throat, when she turned to look at Troy, the salty taste on her tongue was forgotten, seeing the childish look of anticipation on his face, "It's good,"

"You don't have to lie to me you know, it's not like when we were little, I can read you loud and clear," Troy said smirking, Gabriella smiled sheepishly,

"Am I that transparent?" Gabriella asked, Troy shrugged, but offered her a beaming, genuine smile that he only showed her. Boy if photographers had photographed him smiling like this, he'd give Matt Damon a run for his money.

"Not really, only to me," he finally said, kissing the top of her head in an instinctive gesture, "I'll take the soup, you can rest a bit more and I'll call you for dinner," Troy said, taking the tray, Gabriella couldn't help but add,

"Yes _darling_," before she blushed again her mind too slow to go through what her mouth had already let loose. Troy seemed a bit shocked at being called that but recovered nicely with a cute little wink of his own, before closing the door. Gabriella fell back onto the bed,

"What is wrong with me? How did that come out?"

-

-

Once Troy walked out of the room, he placed the tray of soup on the table and literally ripped the apron off of him.

"How is she?" Chad asked almost immediately. He had been among the first to arrive after the call, shortly after Taylor and Sharpay. Ryan had wanted to come too, but as director he had a meeting for a show he was going to do, but promised drop by even if that meant he had to leave the meeting early. Kelsi arrived a few minuets later accompanied by Jason, and Zeke was the last to arrive, the numerous white grocery bags in his hand giving an obvious indication as to where exactly he had gone to come so late.

"She's ok, well enough to laugh about the apron," and Troy shot a dirty look at Sharpay who only smiled innocently,

"Look on the bright side at least you saw her smile," the sharp blonde retorted, making Troy's face soften slightly, remembering her eyes and smile.

"You know it's funny how a beautiful girl like our little Gem doesn't have a boyfriend," as always, Chad the dense one bluntly stated out. Almost immediately he got a glare from Sharpay and Taylor, and even one from the usually composed Kelsi. Chad's eyes flickered to Troy-and the jock caught it, he caught the guilty gleam that arose from Chad's eyes, and the not so subtle nudge from Taylor, so Troy decided to play along…for now,

"That's true; she hasn't dated since that… Trevor guy," the ex-boyfriend's name slipped bitterly from Troy's mouth.

"Yea isn't that funny?" Chad said weakly, slinking even further down on the couch,

"Maybe Gabby just has her own standards," Jason reasoned,

"How long has it been since she dumped him anyway?" Troy asked, realizing that if Gabriella hadn't told him she had dumped him the night he dropped her off at her apartment after their dinner with Melanie, Troy would've thought his best friend was still dating the guy she met one day at a child daycare program. At that time, Troy hadn't even thought why Gabriella had taken so long to tell him she had broken up with her boyfriend. When they were in universities-different universities he might add-Gabriella never failed to ring him up whenever something happened, right down to calling at 4am in the morning because she was stressing over a chemistry or biology test, and Troy had never once resented to getting up at 4am in the morning, and spend the entire night talking to her even if he had practice at 6am.

"A couple of months, 2 or 3," Sharpay said in a slow and careful voice. The revelation only made Troy deepen his line of thought. _Why_ did it take so long for Gabriella to tell him? Was it because she was embarrassed that she couldn't keep a relationship unlike her best friend? No, that was never an issue, if it was, Troy was sure Gabriella would've talked to him about it, because that was just how they were. Best friends, talking about everything.

"_Maybe it's because she doesn't trust me enough." _Was the most logical reason Troy was able to think of at that moment, and the idea tore at his heart, hurt and betrayed at the thought that Gabriella wasn't able to trust him of all people.

"Troy?" Taylor called carefully, the observant African American woman saw the change in the basketball player's expression, and she had seen it many times on Gabriella's face to get an understanding as to why it looked like that,

"I'm going to go for a walk, I'll be right back," Troy said shortly, he quickly went to grab and black jacket, and was out of his own house before anyone could say anything. Seconds later, the a door creaked opened, and Gabriella's small body timidly came out, her eyes saddened and her mouth in a small, shivering frown,

"You heard?" Zeke said softly, Gabriella nodded.

* * *

It was almost 4:30pm, and in the middle of February the wind was cold enough for Troy to zip up his black leather jacket. The wind rustled around his brown, shaggy hair as he dug his hands further into his warm pockets. It was a good thing his house was near a local park, it was still fairly empty and the white snow-or what was left of it-crunched beneath his sneakers. 

What possessed him to just leave his friends at his house like that? No, what possessed him to leave _Gabriella_ like that? But the ideas of her not trusting him made his large house feel stuffy and claustrophobic and he felt the urge to get out,

"I shouldn't be feeling like this anyway, she's still my best friend, and it's not like best friends need to tell everything to each other," Troy grumbled, still, the unsettling feeling in his gut came back again. It was the same raw, gnawing feeling in his guts when he heard Gabriella had begun to see Trevor, the same feeling when Michael had taken the tiniest interest in Gabriella.

"_Dude you are so jealous,"_ his mind said in a snide little voice,

"I'm not," Troy grumbled,

"_You so are,"_

"I'm not!" the exclamation left his mouth much louder than he had intended to,

"You're not what?" the voice that belonged to the person that was constantly on his mind made Troy freeze in his step, and he turned around and saw his best friend coming towards him. She must've hastily changed into what clothes she had left at his house during previous all-nighters at his house, because the skinny jeans she was wearing definitely wasn't made for the winter air, but the black boots made her shapely legs even longer, and the dark winter jacket encased her small upper body, the wind toying with her shoulder length curls as she made her way over to him. Troy knew he shouldn't be checking out his best girl friend like this, but he couldn't help but briefly wash his eyes over her outfit even it did take all of one minute,

"How'd you find me," he asked, waiting for her to catch up, she gave him a timid smile,

"When we were little, and we had arguments or you felt sad, you'd always go to the park. I figured this was the closest park so I came here first,"

"You walked here?"

"No I flew," Gabriella rolled her eyes, rubbing her hands together to keep them warm as she joined Troy at his side, continuing his walk, "Why did you just leave like that?"

"I didn't, I was going to get something," Troy lied, Gabriella looked up at him with a sceptic look,

"Troy, I heard everything, don't lie to me," Gabriella said sternly. The word lie seemed to have sparked something in Troy's mind,

"Like the way you lied to me about when you and Trevor broke up?" Troy bit out in the winter cold. Gabriella's face fell as she directed her eyes up front once more,

"I didn't mean to lie to you…"

"How many months exactly have you and him broken up for?"

"A few…" an imploring look from her best friend, "4 months."

"4 months? In the span of 4 months you couldn't call me and say 'Troy I broke up with my boyfriend'? You use to call me at 4 in the morning because you thought you weren't ready for a test," Troy said, his voice as rough and harsh as the biting coldness that was nipping at Gabriella's exposed hands. The tense silence between Troy and Gabriella bit Troy right in his heart, smothering the small flame of anger that had rose in his stomach. Instead, his attention reverted to the smallest of details from his best friend, the most prominent detail being her cold hands. Stopping, Troy pulled Gabriella to stop in front of him, and took his own hands out of his pocket, and gathered her small ones in his. Gabriella looked up at him,

"_I thought he was mad at me,"_ she thought to herself. Troy's warm hands rubbed her own, much more effectively warming her hands, then he gently placed her right hand into one of her coat's pockets, Troy took Gabriella's left hand, kept it in his own hand, and placed both hands back into his jacket pocket, and Gabriella blushed. She liked the feeling of him holding her hand, warm and secure in his pocket. It was like he would always be leading her, always protecting her from the cold.

"It was during your last semi-finals match," Gabriella finally said, her breath coming out into the air in wisps of white smoke, "Trevor wanted to go out to eat with me, but I said I couldn't because I promised you I'd be watching your match… it was so important to you that I be there… and I really wanted to watch you play, you always looked like such a kid when you play," Gabriella smiled fondly.

"He wasn't too happy that I didn't want to go…something about it being our three month anniversary or something… I don't really remember. But we got into this huge fight… and he said that I cared more about you than I did about him, and that he was my boyfriend and not you… and I that made me really mad because in my entire life, Troy, you were the closest guy I've ever known, my dad left when I was small, and besides my cousins there was really no particular guy that I was close with. I told Trevor, and that just got him madder… and we didn't speak to each other for a week."

With each word, Troy could tell it was starting to get hard for Gabriella to continue her story. Each word sounded heavy with sadness and…embarrassment? Gabriella couldn't be thinking Troy would think less of her after telling him her story… did she?

"Gabby, if you don't want to," Troy said gently, squeezing the hand that was in his pocket, but Gabriella shook her head, determined to get it out,

"After that week though… he came to me one day with a bouquet of roses in his hand asking for me to forgive him,"

"'Brie you hate roses," Troy said simply, Gabriella couldn't help but smile at the childhood nickname and Troy's attentiveness,

"I know… but at that time, I guess I was too touched to realize… of course after he had left I threw them out but he never noticed… actually I never really invited Trevor inside my apartment… it's always been at the door. Anyway, we were ok after then, but we started seeing each other less and less, whenever he wasn't busy I was, and whenever I wasn't he always had some sort of excuse. In two weeks, Trevor and I barely saw each other more than twice maximum. But still I guess I wanted to keep the relationship going… I don't know why but I did." Gabriella sighed. She remembered in clear detail what her last boyfriend looked like. Trevor Sanders was one of the volunteers at the child day care centre Gabriella had worked at for a while. He was 27 while she was 23 at the time. Muscled but not overly ripped, dazzling sunshine blonde hair and deep, blue-grey eyes, Trevor Sanders was quite the catch, though Gabriella had to admit, of all his qualities, it was his stormy blue-grey eyes that attracted her the most. Something about those eyes made her remember a certain, more familiar pair of clear, beautiful ocean blue eyes.

"One day… I decided I'd go and surprise Trevor. I had asked the week before if he had anything to do and he had said he didn't think so. I didn't call him, and I had the keys to his apartment, so on Sunday morning, I drove to his apartment. I made reservations at this breakfast house he liked to go to during our dates. I went in, and there wasn't anyone there so I guessed he was still sleeping." Gabriella's voice broke slightly, "I was so focused in surprising him I didn't even focus on my surroundings. I was in front of his door and I heard shuffling inside and I thought he was already awake… so I opened the door. I…he…T-Trevor was home… but he wasn't alone.

"It turned out that all those times he was 'busy', he was actually hanging around this girl he met at a bar while we were still fighting… he said he didn't tell me because it wasn't 'serious' or anything. But I left before he could say anything. I changed my phone number; I didn't answer any of his calls… I wanted to tell you so badly, you were the first person I wanted to tell, but then Troy… you had your own life. You had a relationship with Melanie at that time, and the last thing you needed was my stupid love life barging into yours."

"Gabriella you're kidding me!" Troy exclaimed there was a fire in his beautiful, ocean blue eyes that had grown as soon as the name 'Trevor' and 'another girl' were put together. "Gabby the last thing I want you to do is_ not_ tell me, and your love life isn't stupid, I care about it a lot!"

"I wouldn't be that great of a friend of I interrupted your date because my relationship screwed up," Gabriella reasoned,

"And I would be an even worse friend if I chose my date over my best friend in the entire world," Troy retorted, "Gabby I wish you had told me, I feel like I want to find him and beat him into a bloody pulp!"

"Don't you dare," Gabriella glared,

"He _cheated_ on you Gabriella!" Troy near roared, Gabriella winced slightly, the wound still not fully healed. Trevor had been Gabriella's first 'real' relationship, and Troy immediately regretted his choice of words, "What I mean is, Brie, that I wish you would've told me, I would've been there for you… you must've felt horrible."

"I did," Gabriella said softly, "But the fact that I got to burn everything he gave me plus I slapped him before I left made me feel better,"

"'Atta girl Gabby!" Troy laughed, Gabriella laughed with him,

"Troy? Thanks… I feel better now, I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier, I should've," Gabriella finally said, Troy shrugged,

"Better late than never right, besides you just saved that lucky bastard from a dangerous beating not only from me but the rest of the guys too," Troy said coolly,

"Troy," Gabriella glared warningly, "Only Sharpay and Taylor really know what happened… but I think Chad knows already considering how Taylor looked when he had accidentally blurted it out."

"Gabby, promise me something," Troy said seriously, "Whatever it is, a test, relationship, a headache, anything, if you want to tell somebody, promise me you'll tell me. There is nothing in this world that would make me think less of you, and it'll only make me feel worse if I couldn't help you. I _want_ to be there for you Gabby, remember that. There is no way you're ruining my life in anyway, the only way you can do that is excluding me from your life, understand?" Troy said in all seriousness. Gabriella couldn't help but have the tears burn the edge of her eyes. Troy had never been one to give such serious, sentimental speeches, and when he did, the simplicity and the meaning of it always touched Gabriella to no end, and she would constantly question herself, what she had done to deserve such a friend like Troy Bolton.

"Thanks Troy," Gabriella seemed to be thanking her best friend endlessly today, and reached to hug him. The two of them remained connected for a few minutes, each just basking in the comfort that they had someone they could count on, "I promise," she whispered, and that only caused Troy to tighten his hold around her, if it wasn't for the fact that Gabriella's phone was ringing from her pocket, and Troy's was vibrating in his jeans, the two would've stayed at the park all night, in unison, they flipped their phones opened,

"_Gabriella Erin Maria Montez/Troy Jonathan Bolton where are you?"_ Taylor and Sharpay's voice came from each of their respective phones (Sharpay for Troy and Taylor for Gabriella), and the best friends pulled their phones away from each other in a grimace,

"I'm thinking it's time we go back," Troy suggested weakly, his ears ringing, Gabriella laughed,

"Agreed," she said, closing-and hanging up-on both their friends, Troy suddenly took Gabriella's hand in his, and together, they ran to Troy's car. Gabriella haven't felt so carefree since before her relationship with Trevor and after her late night chats with Troy, and truth be told, she wouldn't want it any other way.

* * *

**A/N: Hmm… so much for adding the rest of the gang in, ends up they only had a small role –ha-ha- but I did add some Troyella arguments, then even MORE fluffiness. Again, the story may seem slow, but just watch, things will speed up soon. Wow has anyone noticed my stories tend to be very cliche? LOL**

**BTW, I hope you liked the story of Trevor and Gabriella's relationship (FYI: You **_**might**_** want to keep the story and how Gabriella felt in mind).**

**FYI...again: Ha-ha I mentioned Matt Damon... he is actually quite famous for his smile. In Vanessa's Tyra interview, she said she met Matt Damon when she was promoting 'Thunderbirds' and was completely at awe.**

**FYI…again...again: Trevor… ha-ha that was Zac's character name when he guest starred in 'Suite Life of Zack and Cody'.**


	9. Not Good Enough

Thank you for all your reviews even though it was just an Author's note! Special thank you to those who wished me a fun trip, I had a lot of fun! Now that I'm back home, schools also back from holidays, but hopefully I'll make time to update.

**First of all, a happy new year to everybody! Here's hoping a successful year to both the cast and you guys! Of course Zac and Vanessa celebrated their new years together spending the night out at a restaurant together, they both left smiling and looking happier than ever.**

**Remember last chapter, when I mentioned Vanessa's driving an Audi now? Well it seems like it was ZAC who bought the car for her. There was a small article on him on about what he wanted for Christmas, and he said he wanted a new skate board. After it said something along the lines of 'Well Zac may just get his wish granted because girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens may get it for him after he purchased a new Audi Cabriolet for her 19th birthday'. I don't know how trust worthy it is though.**

**Zanessa attended the 19****th**** Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala Presented by Cartier on January 5****th**_**Hairspray**_ **won 'Best Acting Ensemble'. Congratulations! During the red carpet, the fans were literally **_**screaming**_** for the hot young couple as it is their first that publicized event they attended together as a couple. There are **_**a lot**_** of gorgeous and adorable pictures of them. Extra has a quick interview with them, asking questions regarding their relationships and their opinion on the Britney Spears issue. Zac, being the sweetie he is, gave his jacket to Vanessa to keep her warm.**

**Vanessa's upcoming album later this year is one of the most anticipated albums of 2008. No joke! She's up along with famous singers such as Madonna.**

**Filming of High School Musical 3 was slated to begin early this late January/late February, however, maybe due to the writer's strike, filming has now been moved down to April, where the cast and crew will once again return to Salt Lake to shoot the motion picture where it will then be released in theatres later on this year. **

**HSM3 isn't the only film moved down the time lime, the Hannah Montana movie has also been moved down although I'm not sure about the dates. Both the HM movie and HSM3 are two movies that are much anticipated for release this year. **

**Vanessa is on the cover of this month's issue of 'Seventeen'. Among the things she talks about in the magazine is the scandal last year. Again, she apologized, saying she still doesn't like talking about it, but thanks her family, friends and fans for supporting her. A question that was asked of her was how amazing Zac was for supporting her, to which she replied that he is an amazing person, who knows show to make her smile and make her happy, so sweet. **

**Rumour has it that Vanessa **_**may**_** join the cast as one of the leads in an upcoming movie called 'Will'. So far the basic idea is about a popular girl and a new, outcast boy in a school who is drawn together through music. With a bunch of friends they form a music group. Apparently-also another rumour-Justin Timberlake and Liam Aiken from 'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events' are a part of the cast, along with Aly and AJ's Alyson Michalka. Again this is only a rumour and so far nothing's been confirmed. **

* * *

_Chapter 9: Not good enough_

* * *

"_So, when are you and basketball boy going to wake up?"_

"Shar I wish you'd stop calling me at work," Gabriella mumbled for the millionth time. It was times like these the brunette regretted giving the blonde a copy of her in office schedules. When Gabriella had just started her internship, she had yet to get her own car, and since Sharpay lived so close, the blonde volunteered to drive the brunette to and from work since Sharpay usually needed to wake up early for roll calls or auditions anyway, thus pushing the brunette to give Sharpay her schedule. Now, the blonde found reasons to call the brunette whenever it was her day to do office work.

"_But I'm bored! Plus the audition call finished early, Zeke's at work, Ryan's out doing something for some upcoming show thing, Taylor's at work, Kelsi's at work, Chad and Troy's at the gym, Jason's being his famous director self, there's no one else!"_

"Sharpay _I'm_ at work too!"

"_Yea, but you're the only one who won't yell at me for calling, well next to Zeke, but he's working next to a stove so I wouldn't want someone to get food poisoning," _said the blonde's bright voice. Gabriella sighed as she placed another patient's name under the 'L' file,

"How did the audition go anyway?" Gabriella asked, already knowing the answer but asking by instinct,

"_Great! They said they'll call me tomorrow if I make it to call backs,"_ Sharpay said, and Gabriella giggled, there was no way Sharpay wouldn't get the call. Sharpay Evans was quite a well known name in Broadway, something that Mrs. Darbus would've been proud of if she ever caught wind of it.

"_But you're avoiding the main question, when are you and Troy ever going to wake up? I mean, it's SO obvious! It's obvious you two like one another-and no I mean love-like, not brother and sister like,"_

"Sharpay, I wish you'd give it up, for the last gazillion time, Troy and I are just best friends, how weird would it be if we started dating?" Gabriella rolled her eyes, the comment setting up an image in her mind. Actually, her mind and her imagination had no trouble at all coming up with a scenario, in fact, she always did have trouble imagining Troy and some other girl he was dating at the time being together in the future with Gabriella watching from the outside. She often thought it was because she felt the girl wasn't suitable for Troy…actually none of the girlfriends Troy had introduced to her met up to her standards,

"_Not to hard to imagine, is it?"_ Sharpay said, and Gabriella could literally see the smug smirk appearing on the blonde's face. Gabriella blushed,

"Shar, Troy and I have been best friends for the past 14 years! I'd be worried if I _couldn't_ see him in my future," Gabriella reasoned with her logic, "Look Shar I'm off in half an hour, can we talk later? The files in my arms are about to fall, and it took me over two hours to organize these,"

"_Fine, fine, I'll see you tonight right? At their game,"_

"Yea of course, wouldn't miss it," Gabriella grinned,

"_Great, toodles!"_ and the conversation ended. Struggling to hang the cord phone back onto the wall, the first two files toppled onto the floor. Gabriella groaned, she was going to be late for the game tonight, and Troy had asked her to come early

* * *

"Here, I'm open!" Troy shouted across the gym, his voice echoing in the hollow room. Running shoes squeaked on the waxed floor and sweat poured down the young men's faces. The LA Lakers held their usual practice before their game in a private gym. Chad, who had the ball, made a clean pass to his best friend. Troy jumped, ready to make the catch, only to be literally bulldozed aside by Michael's larger body, the older player fully intending to intercept the catch, only both of them ended up on the floor, and the basketball bounced passed them, followed by a furious whistle from their coach,

"Goldstrem what the hell do you think you're doing?" their coach roared angrily, "If that happened in the game the other team would've eaten you up and spit you out before you could say basketball!"

Michael and Troy both brushed themselves off,

"I would've caught the ball if Bolton wasn't in the way," Michael said haughtily,

"I passed it to him!" Chad retorted angrily, coming up to the two players, "You purposely went to intercept it!"

"And with which eye did you see me do that?" Michael replied,

"Stop it! Goldstrem on the bench, _now_, everyone else take 2, Bolton, take a look at the knee of yours," the coach instructed before making an angry charge at Michael. Chad went to stand beside Troy, glaring at the other player,

"Man he has it in for you," Chad grumbled as they took their seat and water bottle, Troy shrugged,

"I guess he can hold a grudge," he said,

"Still, man if I see him give the girls one wrong look, I'm going to pummel him even if he is on our team," Chad said maliciously, Troy chuckled,

"Leave it for the other team," Troy said, "Besides, he wants us to win, he won't try anything tonight,"

"He better not, the girls are watching and I am not going to make a fool out of myself," Chad said firmly,

"And since when do you not do that?" Troy laughed, ducking the sweaty towel that Chad chucked at him right after the comment, Troy took a quick glance at the clock that read 3pm and Chad smirked,

"Gabby's not off until 3:30pm, and our game isn't until 5, we'll make sure you two get some alone time,"

"Shut up!"

-

-

At 4pm, Gabriella was finally able to sign out, after having to organize a couple of files.

"Gabriella!" the brunette turned around, and recognized the young nurse who worked down at the ER. Jenny had been there the day Troy and Michael had been brought in after their fight.

"Hey, going home?" Gabriella smiled, Jenny nodded excitedly,

"Yea, just to freshen up, my friend got the Lakers tickets tonight! There's no way I'm going to miss that!" Jenny said excitedly, Gabriella laughed,

"Maybe I'll see you there too; I'm going with some of my friends, too. Two of our friends are playing tonight," Gabriella smiled fondly,

"OH right you know Troy Bolton don't you?" Jenny's eyes sparkled in admiration, "I'd give _anything_ to see him smile at me, and he's _so_ good looking,"

"I guess," Gabriella giggled, squirming slightly uncomfortably at how she was talking about her best friend, "Um where are you sitting?"

"Some seats way at the back," Jenny frowned, "Won't be able to see a thing, how about you?"

"Um," Gabriella fished out the tickets, she never really did spend a lot of time looking through them, half the time she went, she went early and Troy usually showed her the seats, "First row… I think, I don't really know, I usually sit in the same seat every time I go,"

"How did you get tickets like that?" Jenny gasped enviously, "That's probably _right behind the Lakers! _Oh my god Gabriella you are SO lucky, you'll be _this_ close to Troy Bolton!" Gabriella blushed, "Hey you're close with him aren't you?"

"Um I guess,"

"Do you know if he's single or not?" the other woman asked hopefully, Gabriella's eyes flickered at her hopeful face,

"No," her mouth spurted out instinctively, a possessive tone to her voice Gabriella had never heard before, Jenny's face fell, "I mean yea, I'm not sure," Gabriella mumbled,

"Still a chance, I got to go, got to get ready, you know," Jenny winked she bade a quick good bye before going to her car, leaving Gabriella alone to go to hers. The uncomfortable feeling was still settling in her stomach as Gabriella unlocked her own car. She felt guilty she had lied to her friend, of course she knew Troy was single, but the first words out of her mouth was 'no'.

"_I've definitely been talking too much with Sharpay,"_ Gabriella finally cleared her head. Glancing at the clock, Gabriella quickly pulled out of the parking lot of the hospital, if she wanted to fit a quick shower in before getting to the arena, she better get a move on.

* * *

**5:00pm**

**LA Lakers vs. New York Knicks **(A/N: A quick side note, I'm not that into basketball ha-ha and the only team I know for sure is the Toronto Raptors… ha-ha so excuse my lack of information in terms of teams and such)

The arena began filling up as people filed in, some hands laden with popcorn, and soda, some busy with just trying to mind their children from wandering too far from the rows. Other more enthusiastic fans ranged from simple face painting to bare chests painting out their support for their respective team. Of course with it being the home game, most of the bare chests basically spelled out the Lakers.

Behind the empty benches where it will be filled with Lakers member in a few minutes, Sharpay led Zeke, Taylor, Kelsi, Jason and Ryan to their designated seats, close to the court and the players.

"When's Gabriella going to get here?" Jason asked once they settled into their seats and begun passing the snacks they had purchased and the boys had carried.

"She usually meets up with Troy," Taylor answered,

"His good luck charm probably," Sharpay added laughing, "Seriously, how dense are those two?"

"You know them, they don't think anywhere above the whole best friend deal." Kelsi piped in, "But they look really cute together, they were voted 'Most likely to become a couple' in high school, and they flirt like crazy,"

"And if Kelsi managed to notice it, then it's pretty obvious," Zeke added, and even though the young auburn haired woman glared for the insult, she agreed. Being the timid, shy and slightly reclusive Kelsi Nielson, even _she_ could see what the two were avoiding,

"You know, I think they have ideas about it, but they're just too scared to think about it," Taylor said thoughtfully, "I mean every time we talk about they both blush so obviously there's something about that topic that makes them uncomfortable,"

"And they're never uncomfortable if it involves something about the other," Ryan said

"Maybe they just need a little…shove." Sharpay's pink lips spread across in a smile against her face.

"We can't really shove them in a closet, we're not in high school anymore," Taylor said, Sharpay's eyes glinted teasingly,

"It worked for you and Chad."

-

-

"Boys, 5 minutes 'till show time!" the coach's voice echoed and bounced from the lockers in the Lakers locker room. Separate shouts replied the reminder as several men began throwing down their towels and standing up for stretches, some who were married making last minute calls to wives and family members.

Lakers MVP Troy Bolton stayed seated in front of his opened red locker, putting his cell phone down for what felt like the millionth time. After a quick call to his parents-who couldn't make the game but wished him luck anyway-and a quick call to Sharpay and the others, Troy had picked and dropped his phone multiple times, as if willing it to ring, and have Gabriella's name pop up on the glowing screen.

"Relax, she said she'd come… she never broke a promise, besides if she couldn't she'd call you right?" Troy muttered to himself, at that thought he nearly swiped his phone out of the locker to turn it off, just in case the call did come,

"Hey why are you so nervous? Waiting for a girlfriend man?" one of his team members, Justin asked, giving him a knowing wink, "A girlfriend's always the hardest person to play in front of," Troy smiled weakly,

"Heh yea I guess so,"

"Must be one heck of a girl to get _you_ so nervous," the man said, and Troy smiled,

"Sure is,"

"Oy, Bolton! Someone's here to see you!" came the coach's irritated call. Troy shot up, walking to the door with Justin trailing behind in curiosity, the mid forties coach mildly glared up at his star player, "2 minutes Bolton," and stalked away, revealing a sheepish Gabriella who was hidden behind the coach's rather round but tall figure. Troy grinned,

"You made it,"

"Promised you I did, just need to make a few calls," Gabriella smiled. Troy grinned, his eyes instinctively doing a slow trial down her body for the night's choice of clothes-something he seemed to be doing a lot lately. She wore a light, forest green V-necked sweater underneath a black pea coat that ended half way down her legs, with a pair of form fitting black jeans tucked neatly underneath a pair of ankle high boots for the still chilly February air. Troy noticed her hair looked lightly damp and straightened,

"You shouldn't be going out in the cold if you just washed your hair, you'll get sick," Troy said seriously after his assessment. Gabriella wasn't shocked at the break of silence, she was quite used to having him zone out for a while before games, he tended to do that when she arrived.

"Well I had to rush out, my best friend's playing a game tonight, and I don't want to be blamed for having his team lose because he was mad at me for not showing up," Gabriella said, Troy smiled,

"Well I'm sure he'll be more worried than mad if you did get sick," Troy answered,

"So _you're_ the special lady he's been stressing over, definitely something to stress over then," came Justin's nosy voice, poking his head out from the door behind Troy. Gabriella blushed lightly as Troy mildly glared at his friend,

"Gabby, Justin, Justin, Gabriella, my—"

"Girlfriend, got 'cha, no worries, I've got it, not stupid ideas," Justin winked; Gabriella couldn't even correct the common mistake, only blushing slightly and looking down with a sheepish smile. Troy only rolled his eyes and comically shoved the older player in, "Hey man watch it! Coach says times up; now say good bye and we'll see her in the game,"

"Get out of here Justin," Troy rolled his eyes before turning to Gabriella, "I have to go, I'd show you to your seat but you know, coach, scary." He chuckled, Gabriella smiled,

"No worries I've got it, go on, I'll see you out there," she smiled proudly, she took the two steps distance between them, only for Troy to scoop her into his arms earlier than she could, "Good luck, you'll do great," she whispered. Troy grinned, taking a deep breath of strawberry shampoo with a hint of perfume mixed into the smell that was simply his Gabby. In the room, there were distant wolf calls, and Gabriella was released blushing,

"Thanks," Troy grinned, Gabriella gave a final wave before running down the hall towards the chanting and screaming arena, her shoes lightly clicking, her pea coat waving only slightly, her shoulder length hair weaving through the air and leaving behind a trail of strawberries. Troy returned back to his team with renewed feelings, and smiled broadly as his team chanted in their traditional ritual before every game.

"Now we know why Bolton's so good on court," Justin whispered with a knowing smile.

* * *

"_**5 minutes remaining on the clock before the end of the fourth quarter, and the Knicks are leading by 2! Curry heads down the court for a basket-oh he better be careful, the Lakers are closing in on him, fake and a clean pass from Curry to Morris! Morris heads down, 1 minute left on the clock, looking for an open man, passes and-OH and the ball is intercepted!" **_The crowd rose to their feet as Chad appeared out of no where, dashing between an open Knicks and intercepting the ball through midair. He landed securely on his feet, and drove the ball down back to the other side, the orange sphere now an orange blur as Chad passed the ball back and fourth to avoid the opposing team in fluid motions, hours of gym training paying off.

"Go Chad!" Taylor screamed, being one of the hundreds who rose in cheers. The curly haired basketball player drove professionally, the entire gang were on their feet, cheering for their friend as Gabriella trained her eyes on her best friend, currently guarded carefully by a skilful member of the NY Knicks,

"_**30 seconds in the clock and Danforth is running out of men! He stops to look for somebody, ooh Bolton looks stuck in a tight trap, there's no way he can get out of **_**that**_** jam!" **_The commentator's latter remark was drowned by the supportive cheers of fans, as some began chanting Troy's name, Gabriella didn't chant, her chocolate brown eyes glued tightly to the blue eyed man, in her mind, she screamed his name, biting down on her lip nervously, _**"20 seconds, what are the Lakers going to do now? OH Danforth's got an open target, a perfect pass and Goldstrem has the ball. Dribbling down the court, can he make a 2 pointer with all those people? He's setting up for a shot-and it's a fake! He's dribbling the other way, the Knicks are going after him what is he going to do? Seems like he's trying to make a shot!" **_The crowd suddenly erupted in a tremulous roar of screams and cheers

"_**Their plan worked! Bolton is free, Lakers favourite Troy Bolton snatches the ball from midair, he has 10 seconds on the clock, and he's in half court, dribbling down, his team members are doing one heck of a good job holding the Knicks at bay, uh-oh one got loose and he's going after Bolton. 5 seconds, Bolton sets up for a shot, 3 seconds left…"**_

The large digital clock at the top counted down the remaining 2 seconds of the final quarter. The orange basketball left Troy's hand with a snap of his wrist, soaring above the head of the NY Knicks that went to stop him, 1 second and the crowd held their breath, the ball did a circle around the rim of the basket-the alarm trilled and the ball fell through the net with a swish lost in the excited and happy cheers of fans.

"_**And it's finished! The LA Lakers have done it! They're heading to the finals, an amazing 3 pointer by LA Lakers Troy Bolton!"**_ the rest of the team spilled onto the court, hands slapping onto Troy's shoulders, Troy beamed his head immediately looking up amongst his celebrating team mates in search of one person whom his eyes were drawn to almost magnetically. Gabriella was up and jumping along side the rest of his friends, her eyes locked on him almost as if she was waiting and expecting him to look for her. She stood out against them all, her face flushed with excitement and her brown eyes sparkling under the bright lights of the arena, her lips split into a beautiful smile of pride and happiness.

Gabriella was up and screaming with the rest of her friends, happy that their team had won. Her mind kept playing and re-playing Troy's amazing last shot in the last 5 seconds of the game. _"He's amazing_,_"_ she thought with a beaming smile. As always her eyes had never left him throughout the whole game and as always he had to stay on court for the entire game. He wasn't MVP for nothing. But always after every shot, instead of watching the ball swish through the net and sharing high fives with his team, Troy would always look up to find her, as if knowing she was keeping her eye on him, and letting her know he knew. Gabriella mouthed 'good job' to him amidst the thousands of people in the arena and she knew he saw because Troy's face split into a big grin that sent cameras flashing.

"C'mon let's start heading out, it'll be crazy in here for a while, and we all know Troy's going to be stuck for a while," Ryan said, starting to climb his way over seats. Seconds later the gang found themselves lost among a sea of people.

When the gang finally managed to locate one another and fight their way out of hundreds of happy fans, Gabriella was the only one there missing,

"Don't worry," was all Ryan said to a worried Kelsi, knowing where the brunette had gone as soon as soon as she managed to slip her petite body through the massive crowd.

-

-

Gabriella ran through the mercifully empty corridor-a breath of fresh air compared to the steamy arena and sea of people she had to push through. Gabriella stopped in front of the locker room, not hearing anything inside, yet not quite sure she wanted to go bursting into a change room of sweaty male basketball players. When the door to her right opened, and the players began spilling in, she sighed in relief.

One by one, the Lakers walked in, cheering and hyped up from their win, running in wearing blurs of bright yellow. Some who saw Gabriella standing there gave loud wolf whistles making the people waiting behind curious and popping their already tall bodies even higher to see what the commotion was about. When the line was nearly ending, it was the player Gabriella had met named Justin that called,

"Hey Troy your girlfriend's waiting for ya!" the remaining members gave loud 'Ohs' and 'way to go man' to Troy who was bringing up the end with his coach clapping his back.

"Get out of here!" Troy shouted to his team mates before he turned to Gabriella,

"You were great," Gabriella smiled, looking up at him,

"Team effort," he shrugged modestly, Gabriella laughed rolling her eyes,

"You love it," she teased and Troy smiled sheepishly, shrugging innocently but not denying it. Gabriella reached up, and brushed some lingering bangs that covered her favourite blue eyes, making Troy look down at her, smiling gently, caringly at her,

"Go shower," she said a few seconds later, pulling a comical face as she exaggeratedly wiped the hand she used to brush his hair on his jersey, "Now I need another bath,"

"Here, have one," Troy laughed, shaking his shaggy brown head, Gabriella squealed, jumping away from him,

"Troy Jonathan that is disgusting!" Gabriella glared, "I was going to wait for you out here, but I'm going to find the others now," Gabriella said, Troy laughed,

"20 minutes," he promised,

"Fine, see you in 10," Gabriella said, before she walked back down the empty corridor. Troy could only chuckle in amusement, his deep laugh rumbling through the corridor, "Now you only have 9," came Gabriella's voice.

* * *

10 minutes after Gabriella re-joined the group; Troy and Chad came out of the backdoor of the arena, in a comfortable t-shirt, jeans, coat and their basketball stuff stuffed in a black and white Adidas gym bag. Chad scanned the parking lot and immediately found the gang huddled around Sharpay's pink convertible.

"Hey," the two players caught up with the group, and Chad immediately took a spot with Taylor, who smiled proudly at him,

"Well if it isn't the two Lakers star," Ryan smirked,

"You bet, we wiped those Knicks good," Chad smiled triumphantly, wrapping his arm around Taylor,

"Good job Ryan, now I've got to deal with his ego until the next game," Taylor piped in a suffering voice, making the group laugh. Troy laughed with his friends, but scanned the group for a particular brunette,

"Hey where's Gabby?" Troy asked, she _did_ say she was going to meet him with the group. She couldn't have been that slow, maybe she went to the washroom? Or maybe she didn't even make it back to the group. Worry started gnawing at him,

"Calm down Daddy Bolton, your little Gem's right there," Sharpay smirked, pointing to the other side of the pink convertible. Gabriella was indeed there, which sent a wave of relief through him and a relieved smile. But then the smile was wiped off when he saw who she was with,

"Who's that?" he said in a tight voice, _"Whoops, did that come out too possessively?" _

"_Perfect,"_ Sharpay thought cunningly, "Oh he's one of Ryan's director friends. Turns out he's a fan of the Lakers and went to tonight's game and saw us. I thought I'd introduce him to the gang," Sharpay said brightly, the blonde nudged Ryan to say something,

"Yea, his name's Alexander, well Alex for short. He's a director assistant actually," Ryan said, glancing over at the handsome dark haired and green eyed man. "He's 28,"

"That's 4 years apart still," Troy said through unintentionally gritted teeth, his eyes still trained on the pair on the other side, Gabriella was chatting quite happily with this Alexander--Alex--what ever, this _person_.

"Yea, but I think it's time Gabby starts seeing someone again," Taylor added

"You two playing match maker?" Zeke laughed,

"Well _I_ think it's time someone steps in, besides I'm sure none of is mind, it's not like we like Gabby _that_ way right?" Taylor asked, pushing the right buttons. And right buttons indeed, because Troy didn't say anything but everyone could see his jaw clench tightly.

"_I_ think they're getting along pretty well. They look pretty good together don't you think?" Sharpay prompted smiling as she imitated a camera with her hands and locking them in. _"Hmm not a 'Troy and Gabriella' but close enough, _this_ should do the trick,"_ Sharpay thought. Troy narrowed his eyes on them, what the heck were they talking about? _He_ couldn't see a single thing that made Gabriella and what's his name compatible at all.

"_He's not good enough for her,"_ Troy thought

"**And pray tell who is?"** asked his conscious,

"_Not him, he's not good enough,"_

"**Why?"**

"_Because he's not--"_

"**Because he's not you?"**

And Troy had no answer for that.

* * *

**A/N: Ah the oh so scheming Sharpay, how we all missed her, LOL I hope this chapter was alright, kind of rusty for not writing so long. I'd say this chapter is kind of important, kind of moves the story along doesn't it? As of right now, I have no definite amount of chapters this story will have, guess I'll have to see as I go.**

**FYIs: The New York Knicks are the real team, the two players I used were Eddy Curry and Randolph Morris. I think they both play centre for the Knicks, keep in mind I am an absolute idiot when it comes to sports (except badminton –smile-), so in terms of positioning and stuff I'm not too clear about. I don't think two centres can play together…but for the sake of this story let's pretend they can!**

**Alexander, only reason why I named him that is because Zac's full name is Zachary David Alexander Efron. Why didn't I use David? If you noticed in chapter…6 I believe, the chapter where Troy and Michael fought, the doctor who was interested in Gabriella was named David. ( : **


	10. Double Date

Lots of things happening to the HSM2 cast, so let's get going!

**First of all, happy 2 ****year anniversary to HSM! It has now been 2 years since the first HSM came out and shocked the world by its popular success! It's also the first series that lead to the popular sequel and no doubt the equally popular third installation.**

**Ashley is getting ready to head to New Zealand to film an upcoming movie called 'They came from upstairs', which is about a group of teenagers defending their vacation from aliens.**

**As many of you may have heard, Zac was rushed into a hospital a week ago. He had his appendix cut out. He has since been released, and back on the set of Seventeen and is recovering nicely. Of course during his stay at the hospital, Vanessa's been by his side, and when he was released, she was also there with Ashley Tisdale to take him home.**

**Zac is now scheduled to appear in this year's SAG awards to present an award happening on Jan. 27. **

**Vanessa has a new Neutrogena commercial out! It's called the 'Wave' and she looks beautiful in it! You can now watch it on you tube. **

**It has been confirmed that Vanessa will be starring in the upcoming movie, 'Will', which is a story about a group of out casts joining together to form a band. Vanessa will be playing a 15 year old outcast named Sam. Filming is scheduled to begin this February in Austin, Texas. **

**As of right now, Vanessa is reportedly going to record 20 songs, and so far she has 16 tracks laid down. There will probably be about 12 songs on her album, and 3 or 4 bonus songs, the rest of the tracks will either be released or saved for her next CD. Hollywood records are quite happy with the attention Vanessa's next CD is getting, and is planning for an early release of April. Of course there is also the time conflict with Vanessa starting to film 'Will' next month until March, and then starting HSM3.**

**High School Musical 3 now is an official name, High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Basically, the film centers on the Wildcats as they return to East High for their final year, and for this year's spring musical, the gang's writing songs about their experiences. Of course problem arises and challenges the Wildcats as University takes them to different directions. They are currently working out the schedule about filming in the high school once again and shooting has now been scheduled to begin filming in Salt Lake, Utah on April 21****st****. They are anticipating an October release this year. **

**Zac's film, 'Seventeen', is looking at an August release. After filming Seventeen, Zac has been cast into another upcoming movie called 'Me and Orsen Wells' based on a coming-of-age story by Robert Klapow. The story line is set in 1937, which is quite a time difference between roles we've seen Zac in. The movie is set to begin filming around February-March, then Zac will be back to film HSM3 in April. Whew, Zac is one busy person.**

**The main cast of HSM2 has made it onto Hollywoods Top Young Stars. Of course this year, Miley Cyrus takes number one, with Zac being second and Vanessa being fourth. Corbin and Ashley are tied at fifth.**

This isn't HSM news, but I have a new HSM story plot up on my profile, it's different from what I've written before, the setting being in the late 1700s early 1800s, _maybe_ early 1900s depending on my timeline. Check it out!

* * *

_Chapter 10: Double date_

* * *

Troy tossed and turned in his bed, and his blue eyes snapped opened again for the 54th time—yes he had been counting. Sitting up, he turned his lamp on, and the dim, yellow glow lit up the basics of his bedroom. Usually, after a game, he would be tired, dead tired. He would literally fall asleep before his body had even hit the bed, but tonight was different. Troy just couldn't get to sleep! He wasn't tired even though his muscles had the usual dull aching to it when he finished a game. No, it wasn't the game that made him not able to sleep… it was what he had seen after the game. 

For some reason he just couldn't get the image out of his head! The image of Gabriella talking, and laughing with another man, the sheer idea that Gabriella hadn't noticed him come out of the arena had unnerved him, scared him…badly.

"This is useless," Troy grumbled, he swung his legs over his bed, and dragged himself to his kitchen and turned on the kitchen spotlights, intending to grab a glass of warm milk. He remembered once when he was stressing over his first basketball game, and he couldn't sleep. Troy had called Gabriella, and instead of trying to calm him down like he thought, she had come over, and warmed him a glass of milk. Troy remembered it was raining that night, and after the game, Isabella had called him, telling him Gabriella had gotten sick. Troy spent the entire week at Gabriella's house by her side.

Troy had always known that Gabriella was a big part of his life, a big important part of his life. He never questioned it. After all, she was in almost all of the memories he could remember from the start of kindergarten, and meeting each other on the school bus. She was at all his birthday parties, him at all of hers. She attended all of his basketball games, even if they did had a test the next day, or people always mocked her being a bookworm, she came. Gabriella was always the one person Troy felt the need to protect, even if she didn't need him to. Diane had always told him,

"Troy, Gabriella's like your princess and you her shining knight in armour." Of course, back then, the teenage Troy had always screwed up his face at that depiction of his friendship with Gabriella, and never once had he told Gabriella his mom had said that about them. The microwave bell rang as the 25 seconds he used to heat up the milk was over. Strolling over to a sofa, Troy lightly sipped his milk. This time, the milk wasn't as effective. Troy sighed, abandoning the milk on a nearby table, before picking up the cordless phone, fiddling around with it. His fingers itched to dial Gabriella's number.

-

-

Gabriella sat at her desk with her table light on, highlighting some important documents from the hospital. She stopped midway through a sentence, and glanced at her cell phone and her house phone. They had both been silent since Troy had dropped her off at home.

Gabriella could still feel the awkward silence tingling in the air around them. Troy had been silent through the entire ride, and even when Gabriella brought up his game that night, like they always did, Troy had given her one worded answers, never straying from a simple yes, no or maybe. It was nearly 2 in the morning, and when Gabriella got into her apartment, it was already nearly 1am. After a quick shower, and picking what to wear to work the next day, Gabriella curled into bed… and couldn't sleep. She found herself waiting for Troy's call. The call that always came after Troy had returned home, it was always a ritual between them. It was their way of telling one another they had gotten home safely. Picking up her house phone, Gabriella sped dialled Troy's number.

-

-

Troy's thumb hovered over the talk button on his phone. Torn between calling or not. Would it seem weird that he would be calling Gabriella for no reason? After all he's done that for so many times he could hardly remember anymore. When the phone suddenly rang, Troy almost dropped his phone in shock. One glance at the caller ID sent his thumb to press the talk button automatically,

"Hello?" Troy said,

"_Troy? Did I… did I wake you up?"_ Gabriella's timid voice was from the other line,

"No, couldn't sleep,"

"_Me neither…"_ there it was again, that awkward silence, suddenly Troy didn't feel like he was talking to his best friend since forever, this felt like… like the time he had liked this girl during high school only… more intense. Suddenly he was afraid Gabriella might hang up on him if he didn't say anything,

"So I heard you met Ryan's new friend," Troy blurted out, inwardly he cursed himself. Of all topics, he brought _that_ one up, involving what's his name.

"_Yea, he's pretty nice,"_ Troy could hear the smile in her voice,

"Well that's good, so you'll be hanging out with him more then," Troy's jealousy took hold of his mouth,

"_What? No Troy I barely know the guy,"_

"Well you two seemed to be getting along just fine tonight,"

"_That doesn't mean he's suddenly a big part of my life,"_ Gabriella protested angrily, Troy didn't say anything, his jealousy making him keep his mouth shut, _"I have work tomorrow morning, I'll see you at brunch,"_ and Gabriella hung up on him. Troy never remembered Gabriella ever hanging up on him without saying good bye. Troy groaned, it was a good thing tomorrow was a Sunday… it doesn't seem like he'll be getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

The next day, Troy was getting ready for his morning brunch with his parents and Isabella. He had some how managed a couple hours of sleep last night, but the feeling of guilt from last night hadn't managed to leave him, and it was with a heavy heart that Troy left his house and into his car to get to the café where they were having their brunch. 

When he got there, he was quite surprised his parents and Isabella was already there with a table with a window view of the outside garden the café had. Troy had heard it was quite hard to get reservations let alone a seat with a window view,

"Troy!" Diane, smiled, waving her son over, Troy smiled, heading over and sitting down next to his mom and an empty seat, giving him mom a quick kiss on the cheek,

"Good morning," he smiled,

"Did you not get enough sleep? You've got quite the bags under your eyes," Diane said, looking at her son,

"Oh leave him alone, it was quite the win last night from what I saw on TV," Jack beamed, "The last shot was great,"

"Thanks dad,"

"Yes, Gabby couldn't stop talking about it last night," Isabella smiled, Troy's head snapped up at her hearing Gabriella's name, "All she could talk about was how wonderful the game was, and how Troy was so smart and talented in making the last bucket, you would think she was the one playing," Isabella chuckled, Troy smiled weakly, the comment only adding to his guilt. He picked up the menu, hoping to direct their attention onto something else. But it only made him feel worse, Gabriella had always helped order for him, she was in even the smallest details in his life,

"Oh Troy, we don't need to order, Gabriella's already done it," Diane smiled,

"She's here?" Troy asked, looking at the empty seat beside him, Diane shook her head,

"No, she pre-planned it, she reserved a table last night before your game and made sure the food was ready, to celebrate your victory," Diane smiled, Troy's mind turned back to the night before,

"…_just need to make a few calls…"_ Gabriella had said she was late because she had to make calls… was this the reason why?

"But… she didn't know if we'd win or not," Troy said, Isabella chuckled,

"She knew you would, mi hija (**_my daughter)_** has a lot of faith in you," Isabella assured the pro basketball player. Troy squirmed in his seat, now he really did feel bad.

"_She believes in me so much, I should have the same amount of faith in her,"_ Troy thought, Gabriella was no longer the 4 year old girl who couldn't find a seat on the bus, or the 10 year old girl whom he tried to protect from bullies.

"Ladies, sirs, your meal has arrived," said a curt waiter with a tray of food. The food was indeed ordered by Gabriella, because like the attentive woman she was, the food suited each person. Diane got a bowl of cream of mushroom soup and pancakes and eggs. Jack had gotten a cup of orange juice and a medium sized bowl of pasta in ketchup sauce. Isabella had gotten a bowl of fresh fruit and salad.

"And a specially prepared meal for the young sir here," the waiter said, and placed a plate of cheese burger and fries. Diane, Jack and Isabella both blink, looking quite surprised, that did not look like a breakfast at all, but Troy had a hint of a smile,

"_You know what I want right now?" Troy had asked Gabriella in the car one day after a game, Gabriella looked at him, "A cheese burger,"_

"_A cheese burger at 12 in the morning, Troy that's really unhealthy," Gabriella lectured, Troy shrugged,_

"_So? Cheese burger and fries for breakfast, now that's something to remember,"_

"_One day, when you're old and fat and sitting in a rocking chair, I'm going to come to your house, and say I told you so," Gabriella huffed, Troy laughed,_

"_Well you wouldn't have to walk all the way over if you're living with me," Troy had joked and winked at her, "and besides, you'll have to take care of the old and fat me,"_

"I thought she'd be off by now," Troy said, consulting his watch,

"She is, but she had some extra work to do, so she couldn't make it," Isabella explained,

"Then she hasn't eaten anything since this morning then," Troy frowned, he knew Gabriella's schedule, and her morning breakfast included a quick cup of water and a piece of bread that was supposed to last her for her 5 hour shift during weekend mornings from 7am-12pm. Troy quickly finished off his burger, before ordering an extra bowl of fruit to be packed and taken out.

* * *

"Gabriella your shift ended half an hour ago!" Rachel, Gabriella's supervisor, said, walking in on the brunette intern still stuck at her desk in front of the computer, Gabriella smiled weakly, 

"Um I had so unfinished work to do," Gabriella said, Rachel laughed,

"I hope you know you're not getting paid over time, the way you're working, once your internship's over, I have a feeling the hospital wouldn't want to let you go," Rachel chuckled, Gabriella laughed,

"I hope so," she grinned. The older woman bade a quick good bye as her name was being called over the intercom, and once again, Gabriella found herself comfortably alone with her computer. She knew she was being a coward, but she couldn't bring herself to go to brunch—wait correction, she couldn't bring herself to see Troy. Gabriella couldn't help but feel slightly guilty at the way she had hung up on him last night. While he didn't exactly say he thought she and Alexander should date, his tone of voice did nothing to fuel Gabriella's thoughts of what she thought he implied.

But why, out of all the times they have talked about her previous boyfriends, had this been such a sore topic for both of them? Was it the fact that Troy had said it in a way that he didn't care _who_ she dated? And why did she care so much in the first place? Troy was like her brother, a very, very over protective brother-- a brother who Gabriella secretly never wanted any girl to date… why was that? Somehow, she had always managed to convince herself that the girls Troy had dated weren't good enough for him, and had always consoled Troy that somewhere out there; there was one lucky woman who was for him.

"Gabriella, someone's here to see you," Rachel popped back in again, with a hint of a knowing smile, Gabriella looked up, and her eyes widened as Troy walked in, thanking Rachel for taking him to her,

"Hey you," Troy said softly,

"Hey yourself,"

"We missed you at brunch today," Troy said, Gabriella only nodded, "Ahem… _I_ missed you at brunch today," he corrected in saying, and smiled seeing a smile slowly float onto Gabriella's face, "I knew you didn't get anything to eat, so I thought I'd pack something for you," and waved the plastic bag that held the box of fruits, "Think you can spare a couple of minutes and entertain a basketball player?"

"She's off the clock, take her," Rachel said, coming back in again. Gabriella mocked glared at her supervisor, getting her coat off the coat rack at the same time, "See you tomorrow Gabriella," Rachel winked, going back into her office. Gabriella and Troy walked all the way to the hospital garden at the backyard where they settled down onto a nearby bench. Gabriella unwrapped the bag, and opened the box of fruit,

"Fruit?" Gabriella giggled, Troy shrugged,

"Thought we could share, you know, wash down that cheese burger of mine," Troy winked

"I told you not to eat things like that in the morning," she reprimanded,

"Better at noon than at midnight," Troy pointed out what Gabriella had said a couple of months ago and Gabriella laughed,

"Touché," Gabriella paused, "Look, Troy, I'm sorry about how I acted last night, I mean… hanging up on you."

"Don't be," Troy shrugged, "I over reacted, I guess I was a bit over protective," Gabriella bit down at the bottom of her lip, a sign Troy recognized as something she was hiding, "_Should_ I be over protective?" Troy narrowed his eyes at her guilty expression,

"Um… Alexander, well he kind of asked me out," Gabriella blurted out the last part. Gabriella found herself waiting for Troy's reaction. Would he be surprised? Shocked? Protective or… or would he happy and encourage her to go for it 100 percent? Or would be he jealous? Squirming uncomfortably on the inside, Gabriella could not find an explanation she could live with when her heart prayed Troy would become jealous.

"That's…That's great Brie," Troy forced out, "You haven't gone out in a long time, it's about time you try again," Troy echoed the words Taylor had said the night after his basketball game. Gabriella managed a weak smile,

"Y-Yeah, I guess so, so you're ok with me… going out on a date with someone I just met last night?" Gabriella asked, right after that she blushed, did she sound too pushy? It was as if she was trying to get Troy to stop her from going on this date…for what reason? Troy frowned, now _that's_ a thought.

"Well when you put it that way…" Troy said slowly, his first thought was to pull her out of the date. Who was this Alexander to ask _his_ Gabby out on a date? Who knew Gabriella longer? Troy did. Who's been through everything with her? Troy did. Who did she go to whenever she had trouble? Him!

"_If anyone's going to take Gabby out on a date, it's me!"_ Troy's brain automatically fired. The thought sent Troy into a coughing fit.

"Troy!"

"N-Nothing-ahem-I mean, I'm alright, just… swallowed wrong," Troy said after calming down, "You know what, if you don't feel comfortably going alone, I'll go with you,"

"Troy, do you know how weird that would look? It'll be like I'm dating both of you," Gabriella said, _"Not a bad thought if you take Alex out of the picture,"_ her mind suggested, "But it wouldn't be if you had a date, it could be a double date," Gabriella forced out the suggestion, forcing her brain to start working logically again and push the last idea out of her mind,

"Yea that's if I actually had someone to take, what do you say, want to go out with me?" Troy said jokingly, Gabriella smiled,

"I got a better idea, I know someone who would absolutely _die_ if she went on a date with you."

"Gabby I don't believe in blind dates," Troy said, Gabriella smiled,

"Trust me,"

* * *

"What am I supposed to wear to a blind date?" Troy sighed, slumping onto the couch. Chad turned from the TV and looked at his best friend, 

"Don't ask me, I don't have a clue, just go with t-shirt and jeans, that's my policy," his best friend shrugged, Troy glanced at him,

"That's exactly why _I'm_ not wearing that," Troy pointed out,

"That hurts man," Chad smirked, "Don't you have that… spotted collared shirt or something, that thing you wore to last year's conference,"

"Yea…"

"There you go, wear what you wore to last time and you're ready to go!"

"Brie doesn't really like that shirt though, I think that was why she started coming over to pick my clothes for me," Troy said thoughtfully with a hint of a smile,

"Dude, are you going out with Gabs tonight, or some other girl?" Chad laughed, "Because at the rate you're going, it's like you're going out with our little Gabby tonight,"

"Shut up," Troy threw a pillow at him, "I'm just helping her out, ugh this is brutal, I am so dead, you're no help I need to call Gabby,"

"About time, jeez you made me miss over time now," Chad grumbled. Just then, the phone rang, and Chad pressed the speaker button,

"Chad's here," Chad said, on the line the boys heard a familiar giggle, "Oh look who it is we were just talking about you,"

"_I see, is that why you guys do everyday? Talk about me?" _Gabriella laughed amusedly,

"Only because you're our favourite topic," Chad laughed, "Plus it's the only time I can get a blush out of Troy-Dude watch the hair!" Chad blocked his face from an on coming pillow just in time,

"Get back to your game," Troy retorted,

"_Troy Jonathan that wasn't nice. Anyway, um Troy you can pick me up any time, I'm pretty much ready, and you have a black collared shirt in the top drawer of your closet, and a pair of black jeans hanging from your chair—I'm going to assume it's still there from the last time I came over, just wear those, and just __one_ _spray with the cologne you got from Diane from your last birthday, I have to go, Mom's on the other line, see you in a few, bye Chad!"_ and click, the line was dead again. When Chad had closed the phone, he had a smirking face that met with Troy's own smiling one,

"It's like your own personal closet or something," Chad laughed, "Dude you two need to get your act together," Troy glared at his best friend, already heading to his room for a quick change. And just like Gabriella had said, he found his clothes and was changed within 10 minutes, so much for worrying about it for the past 55 minutes.

By 7:00pm, Troy drove his black Audi into the entrance of Gabriella's apartment, and after the stunned guard at the front gave the basketball player entrance, Troy telephoned Gabriella's apartment, and moments later, the brunette came downstairs, and it was all Troy could do to breathe and think properly at the same time.

"So, what do you think?" Gabriella smiled, and twirled around in a circle. Gabriella had her straightened shoulder length hair tied into a high pony tail, and a beautiful midnight black spaghetti strapped dress that landed just at her knees, and a pair of dainty black heels. Troy recognized the heart shaped locket he gave her for her 21st birthday hanging gently by her delicate collar bone.

"You… you look… wow," Troy stuttered, "Brie you look beautiful, very… very beautiful," Troy breathed out his last few words as he gazed upon his best friend. Suddenly he wished he was the one taking her out on a date, because he hated the idea of seeing her like this with someone else. Gabriella gave him a brilliant smile,

"You clean up nicely yourself," she smirked, "Let's go, we're meeting them by the Spaghetti house," Gabriella said, walking to the passenger side of his car. Troy immediately ran and opened the door for him and Gabriella smiled up at him,

"Thank you Troy," she grinned, 2 minutes later, the two best friends were heading out and back onto the rode, "Now remember to compliment her once you see her alright?" Gabriella reminded,

"You expect me to compliment her after seeing you?" Troy said without thinking. A pleasant blush rose on Gabriella's cheek as the smile that was already on her face grew into a bigger one,

"That's a relief, I thought the dress might not work," she admitted softly, "But I'm glad you liked it," Gabriella couldn't help but notice that both of them matched, wearing black, she brushed away the idea that had came up when she had called Troy earlier that evening. Even though she knew Troy would have trouble picking out something to wear, her mind had made her pick his clothes that would coordinate with hers.

"And why isn't what's his name picking you up?" Troy interrupted her thoughts, what ever reason it was, Troy thanked the gods that _he_ was the one picking Gabriella up,

"He had extra work, and Jenny had a longer shift so they're getting there themselves," Gabriella explained, "Remember Troy, to be nice to her, she was shocked enough when I asked her to come with me," Gabriella said,

"I know I'll be a complete gentleman to… uh… Jessica,"

"_Jenny_, Troy try to remember her name!" Gabriella scolded

"Right Jenny, complete gentleman," Troy said, and Gabriella sighed.

28 years old Alexander Ricci paced around the front of the Spaghetti house. His dark hair was slightly mussed up thanks to some help with his friends, and his dazzling green eyes contrasted against his navy blue ensemble. When he had seen Ryan and Sharpay at the game last night—he never imagined those two as basketball people—he never thought he'd get a date out of it. But the female Evans twin had immediately pulled him aside, and introduced him to the striking brunette he had noticed once he had met the group of friends. As it turns out, the brunette knew the Lakers MVP, and that they had been there to cheer him on. Alex took an immediate liking to Gabriella Montez. After all, who wouldn't like a gorgeous 24 year old woman? The fact that the brunette had taken no hostility towards him, and was quite happy to talk with him helped. Tonight was the night to woo her.

When a black Audi pulled up, Alex had assumed Gabriella asked one of her friends to drive her. Never in his entire life did he expect Lakers Troy Bolton to come out of the driver side of the car in an incredibly well put ensemble of black and walk around the car to help out an equally beautiful Gabriella—also dressed in matching black.

"Alex," Gabriella beamed, and Alex smiled back, "Alex this is Troy, Troy, Alexander," Gabriella introduced, "Troy's joining us tonight with his own date,"

"More like my own blind date—ouch!" Troy whined when Gabriella lightly punched up, "Stay here for a second, I'll park the car," Troy said, Gabriella nodded as Troy ran back around to the other side, and the Audi pulled off,

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you, it was sort of last minute," Gabriella apologized to the 28 year old, Alex grinned,

"No problem, the more the merrier," he said, "You look great tonight by the way," Alex complimented in a well rehearsed manner; Gabriella smiled, and thanked him. While they stood there for a few minutes, Gabriella recognized a familiar young woman, who was running up towards them in a periwinkle blue dress, and tied up almond hair,

"Jenny over here," Gabriella waved; the young nurse looked over and smiled, running over towards them,

"Sorry I'm so late, they made me do an over time, the ER had an emergency it was just insane," Jenny sighed, she looked around, "So um where's Troy?" she asked brightly, Gabriella smiled,

"He's parking, oh he's coming now," the young nurse whipped around so quickly Gabriella was afraid her head might fall off. Troy was walking back from the underground parking lot, hands in his pocket and hair draping his eyes, even Gabriella couldn't help but enjoy the picture, so it was understandable that Jenny had nothing less but stars in her eyes,

"Oh…my god… I thought you were kidding when you asked me to double date with you with Troy Bolton, oh my god Gabriella you are officially my favourite person in this entire world," Jenny breathed as the famous athlete got closer. Gabriella only laughed,

"Close spot?" Gabriella asked as soon as Troy arrived,

"No, but you won't walk far I promise," he replied, already knowing her questions, Gabriella smiled but nodded significantly towards the star struck girl beside her, "Oh right ahem, uh hey…J-Jenny," Troy remembered, Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks for coming tonight,"

"No, thank _you_," Jenny said breathlessly.

"Well now that we're all here, let's get inside, I've reserved a table," Alex smiled, he extended his arm for Gabriella to take, which she did… after she had walked up to Troy and stood in front of him to examine him up and down,

"Great, she has that look on her face," Troy sighed to the other two who had confused expressions on, "Brie what's wrong with it now?" he sighed playfully,

"Coat off," Gabriella ordered, Troy blinked, it was freezing outside! "Troy for goodness sake it's only for a little while," and the next thing he knew, Gabriella's hands were wrapped around the neck of his coat, and she pulled it off him and left him in his black collared shirt, then her little fingers worked on the top two buttons of his shirt, releasing them from their slot, and leaving the top bit of his shirt opened. She tip toed on to her feet-even in heels she was shorter than him-, and almost eye to eye, swiped some of his hair off to the side. Throughout the entire process, Troy just stood comfortably still in public as she did so, as if completely use to her doing this.

"Great, all done," she smiled, Troy only shook his head in amusement, before draping his coat around Gabriella's bare shoulders,

"She's like that, sorry," Troy apologized to the other two who watched the entire interaction process, "Come on Gabby, let's get inside," Gabriella nodded, then stood up high again and whispered,

"Go and offer her your arm, be a gentleman!" she instructed before walking off with his jacket on her shoulders, and wrapping her arms around Alex's. Troy gritted his teeth before making them relax, and imitating Alex's actions. Unlike Gabriella who took some time before accepting the arm, Jenny latched on almost at once.

Throughout the night, the group chatted almost about anything, the most prominent topic being Troy and his basketball career. Whenever Troy mentioned something particular from the past, Gabriella would laugh and pipe in, reviewing things from her point of view which was often a lot more embarrassing than Troy's point of view.

"How long have you two known each other?" Alex asked for a moment, "You two seem to know everything about each other,"

"19 years," the both of them answered in unison. Their eyes met and they smiled,

"I met Gabriella on the school bus on our way to kindergarten, she was looking for a spot and I was sitting alone," Troy explained,

"We ended up being in the same kindergarten class, and in the same school, and whenever we weren't in the same class he'd always try to find me," Gabriella took over. Alex had noticed there was always a type of glow to Gabriella's face, and happiness in her voice whenever the subject concerned Troy, even if it had nothing to do with her. Jenny, being one of the women at the table and of course women are most sensitive to these things, already noticed how intimately close her co-worker and the international athlete were. Like Sharpay, the young nurse already began to speculate whether there was something more to this 'best friend' relationship Gabriella and Troy had.

"Well let's order dessert shall we?" Jenny finally piped up, picking up the dessert menu, the three of them picked up the menu while Troy sat idly next to Jenny, discreetly, or maybe not too discreetly, sending glances at Gabriella,

"I don't see why you look at a menu if you always have the same chocolate mousse," Troy mumbled playfully, Gabriella glared back,

"Because I always have to see how a certain someone's feeling so I can see what kind of dessert he wants," she retorted, 5 minutes later, Alex waved a waiter over,

"I'll have the banana split," Alex ordered,

"Just strawberry ice cream for me," Jenny answered next,

"Very well, and how about the couple here?" the waiter asked, Alex and Jenny both turned a little sour faced at the jump in conclusion as Gabriella and Troy blushed,

"Um chocolate mousse, medium size please," Gabriella wrapped up closing the menu, the waiter nodded collecting the rest of the menus and plates,

"Don't you want anything Troy?" Jenny asked,

"I'm sharing with Brie," Troy answered politely,

"But how does she know what you want?" Jenny pushed, Troy laughed, shrugging,

"I have no idea how she does it, but she just does, she's quite good at it too," Troy laughed, winking at the brunette, "You can be my personal caterer,"

"I'm also your personal secretary, cleaner, cooker and picking out your clothes too," Gabriella listed, "The list goes on and on, it has no end," she laughed,

"Oh Gabriella your necklace is twisted," Alex suddenly said, making the brunette turn to him and looking down at her collar bone,

"Oh, it is," Gabriella tried to untangle the delicate silver necklace, but it was quite hard considering she was looking at it upside down, Alex tried to help, gently pulling the necklace one way then the other. Troy however, fought to urge to punch the day lights out of the other man, urging himself to remember that Gabriella had asked him to be nice that day, "Oh-oh wait Alex hang on," Gabriella pulled away, "Sorry I think I can try myself," Gabriella blushed, Alex caught up and smiled sheepishly, but allowed the brunette her privacy. However, a few seconds later, Gabriella sighed defeated and looked up at Troy's smug face,

"Don't look at me like that, you know I need help with this necklace," Gabriella pouted, crossing her arms across her dress. Troy laughed, getting out of his seat, and settling into an empty seat next to her, sitting comfortably still, Gabriella allowed Troy's hand to work around the base of her neck, gently twisting and turning the delicate chain, until once again it was smoothly lying on her neck. Troy gently ran a thumb over the tiny heart shaped locket,

"That's a beautiful necklace Gabriella, where'd you get it?" Jenny asked, Gabriella laughed,

"Troy bought it for my birthday a couple of years ago," Gabriella said,

"3 years ago, and I bought it during a press conference in Paris earlier back," Troy explained he scooped the locket into his fingers, his hand being the barrier between the locket and Gabriella's neck, "Still the same picture?" Troy asked softly, looking up, Gabriella smiled nodding and Troy grinned. Leaning forward, as if he was about to hug her tight against him, Troy gently brushed away a bit of Gabriella's hair that had fallen loose from the pony tail, and unhooked the necklace carefully. He opened it, and placed it onto the table for the other two guests to see, in one side of the heart was a picture of the two of them when there are 5. Their parents had taken a picture of them playing in the swimming pool at the community center. Gabriella had a cute little pink bikini on, while Troy had a pair of ocean blue trunks.

The picture in the next heart was a picture of them at their high school prom. It was the picture Isabella had taken when Troy had went to pick Gabriella up that night, the two of them standing side by side, their heads comfortably leaning on one another, and Troy's arm naturally curling around Gabriella, and pulling her to his body. The two of them were so captivated with one another and their pictures, they hardly noticed the arrival of their desserts, or the slightly annoyed and cold looks of their respective dates.

* * *

**A/N: Aren't they just gorgeous? This chapter didn't go **_**exactly**_** as I wanted it to, but I got the main idea out, which is basically the two of them entertaining the notion of being more than friends. Hmm seems like both of them have some competition. Unlike Melanie from the first few chapters, Alex is definitely a character looking to stay, and I'm still half-half on Jenny's character.**

**Gabriella's dress is sort of like the dress Vanessa wore to the Hairspray premiere in Australia, only a little more flow-y and a bit longer.**

**Please remember to check out the plot bunny on my profile for my next HSM story!**

**Summary: **_Troy Bolton is the sole heir to his family fortune. Gabriella Montez is an orphaned young maid. Two different people, one fateful meeting. In a tale of forbidden love, Gabriella and Troy are about to do the unthinkable. To be together. Troyella_

**Again the summary is tentative at best, and the setting will probably be around... the early 1900s.**

**And my deepest condolences to the friends and family of Heath Ledger who past away earlier this week, may he rest in peace.**


	11. Anniversary and New Feelings

Hmm, I'm seeing some trouble ahead for our couple!

**Unfortunately, there hasn't been a lot of news regarding our HSM2 Cast. Ashley I believe is now in New Zealand filming her movie and so are Zac and Vanessa. Zac is still in South California, filming '17 Again' opposite Matthew Perry and Vanessa is currently in Texas, Austin, filming her new movie 'Will' which now also features Aly Michalka. **

**Oh here's something interesting, rumour has it, Zac bought a heart shaped diamond ring for Vanessa to show his commitment to their relationship. Let me clear it up, it is NOT, I repeat NOT an engagement ring. It is simply a ring to show his commitment. It seems like Zac's already given it to Vanessa and she **_**loves**_** it (what girl wouldn't?) but I'm waiting for pictures of Vanessa wearing the ring, which is sort of hard considering she's filming, so we'll see.**

**Apparently, Monique is currently on the "Dancing with the Stars' tour which fellow Disney star Sabrina Bryan is also in.**

**Ok, it seems like the script for Vanessa's movie, 'Will' was leaked a while ago, and while it is now taken off the internet, a fair amount of people has read it. According to their comments, Vanessa's character, Sa5m (The 5 is silent) is completely opposite to sweet Gabriella Montez from HSM. Vanessa mentioned that she wants to prove her acting skills, and after reading the script, a lot of people believe this movie may be the movie Vanessa can use to prove her talent.**

**Also, Hollywood Records has recently released a release date for Vanessa's sophomore album, ****June 24****th****. They say the date is still tentative, but that's what they're aiming for. They're also in the works of planning a global release, in which Vanessa will visit other countries such as the UK and Japan to promote her album. When asked about a Vanessa Hudgens Tour, they're thinking about it and they're also saying a single will be released soon.**

**Now here's the interesting bit, it seems like Vanessa's been working with **_**a lot**_** of famous producers, many of those worked with a lot of famous bands/artists like Madonna and The Jonas Brothers. Among the producers that Hollywood Records have working with Vanessa, is the one and only Timbaland. **

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical 1 or 2, I am merely borrowing their characters to create a story of my own... if I did Zac Efron wouldn't be in South California…or in USA for that matter… -smiles-

* * *

_Chapter 11: Anniversary and New Feelings_

* * *

"So how was your date with Troy?" Taylor asked Gabriella quickly. It was one of the rare days when Gabriella had an evening shift instead, and so the brunette was with her best friend at a near by mall, going through some random shirts that caught their attention,

"Remember to ask her!" Sharpay had nearly ordered Taylor moments before Taylor had to meet with Gabriella, "With luck she'll answer it and then you can drop the bomb shell," the blonde smirked slyly.

"It went well; we ate spaghetti, had desserts and just talked." Gabriella smiled at the memory, she could still feel the soothing caresses from Troy's rough but gentle fingers on her collar bone as he tried to fix the heart shaped necklace the night before…the necklace that was still hanging delicately from her neck. Gabriella stopped thinking when she heard Taylor snicker, "What?"

"Gabby, did you _hear_ what I said?" Taylor smirked,

"You asked me how my date went with Tr-" Gabriella froze seeing Taylor's smug face, then Gabriella blushed beet red, putting what ever shirt she had been looking at back down, "That wasn't funny,"

"It's pretty funny from my end," Taylor smirked, "And it's got to prove something,"

"That you're a terrible best friend for leading me on like that?"

"No, that you feel something for Troy,"

"Of course I feel something for him, he's my best friend!"

"Snap out of it Gabriella!" Taylor finally exclaimed she dragged the petite brunette out of the clothing store. The two girls ended up at the food court, where Taylor ordered drinks for them both, a strawberry fruit shake for Gabriella and a chocolate shake for herself. Then Taylor forcefully dragged Gabriella to an empty table, and sat her best friend down.

"You two are either really that dense and blind, or you enjoy dancing around each other like that," Taylor said, "Gabriella, _think_, when something's wrong, who's the first person you think of? It's not me, it's not Sharpay, not any of the other girls, and you don't even think of your mom first, the first person in your mind is Troy,"

"He's my—"

"Secondly, if I were to ask any question about Troy, you would know the answers to all of them,"

"That might not be true," Gabriella countered, making a mistake, Taylor smirked,

"Oh yea, let's try. What's Troy most afraid of?"

"Sharks," Gabriella answered by instinct, Taylor smirked as if her point was already proven, "That doesn't prove anything, Sharpay would know it too, I bet Chad does too, does that mean they're in love with him?"

"Actually I asked before hand and they don't know, and I never mentioned anything about love," Taylor said smartly, sending the brunette into a stutter, "Look, Gabby I'm not going to hand cuff you and Troy together until you two see the light—as tempting as that may sound, I just want both of you to be happy, both of you have dated other people, and none of them have ever lasted, haven't you ever wondered why?"

"Because we're not compatible," Gabriella said, "Maybe we're just better off as friends,"

"Exactly, and have you ever wondered _why_ they've never been able to meet your standards? I've seen your boyfriends Gabby, and I've seen Troy's girlfriends, none of them are… how would Sharpay put it, 'unfortunate looking', far from it."

Gabriella sipped her fruit shake thoughtfully. To be honest, she had never really thought about why she broke up with her ex-boyfriends. It had always been her who had been the dumper, never the other way around. Gabriella had always used the same reason…

"I don't think it's working out," "I think we're better off as friends", always that and of course after that happened, the first person Gabriella would call was Troy, and she would spend hours on the phone, listening to Troy list out the hundreds of reasons on why they didn't suit her. She always came out of it with a smile. Except when it came to Trevor… honestly, Gabriella had thought he would've been 'the one'. He was exceptionally good looking, that was not a problem at all. His eyes had been Gabriella's weakness, the blue eyes that sparkled underneath the sun, and his interest in the sport of basketball. But then he went and cheated on her,

"_Troy would never do that,"_ Gabriella's mind instantly reacted to the memory,

"—anyway," Taylor's voice entered Gabriella's mind again, "Isn't your anniversary coming up with Troy? It's today isn't it? The big 2-0," Taylor smirked, and for the first time in the past few minutes, a genuine, bright smile appeared on Gabriella's face,

"It is… 20 years since the first day we met," Gabriella said,

"Doesn't he usually do something?"

"Yea, but he never tells me, but he usually calls in the afternoon and see if I have any plans," Gabriella grinned, absently fingering her phone in her pocket, Taylor smirked, it as was if Gabriella had swallowed something incredibly sweet, the happiness on her face definitely gave her away,

"Well, you're shift's almost starting, and I really don't want to get in the way of your phone conversation," Taylor laughed, standing up, "Tell me all about it later," Taylor winked and bade Gabriella good bye, Gabriella laughed, standing up herself as well. Deciding she had enough time before needing to drive to the hospital, Gabriella sped dialled Troy's phone,

"_Hey,"_

"Hey you," Gabriella smiled hearing his slightly out of breath voice,

"_Hey, going to work soon?" _Troy asked,

"Almost, are you at practice?"

"_Uh yea…"_ Troy's voice sounded hesitant, but Gabriella assumed it was because he was on his phone during practice,

"So… got anything planned tonight?" Gabriella hinted, smiling slightly, every year around this time, she always anticipated his calls. Some how, Troy had always managed to surprise her,

"_Tonight? Not really, I was planning on staying home, watch movies and eat popcorn until I puke,"_ Troy laughed, Gabriella's smile dropped,

"_Did he forget?"_ Gabriella thought, "Oh… I see…well I was thinking you can come over tonight,"

"_Sorry Gabs, I'm kind of tired today how about a rain check? It's nothing too important right?"_ Troy asked, Gabriella's good mood was immediately wiped off, her heart wrenched uncomfortably. Troy really forgot! 20 years and he forgot!

"No nothing, forget about it, I'll see you later," Gabriella snapped and hung up on him. She stormed out of the mall didn't think of anything else but going to the hospital.

* * *

Troy cringed at the snap of Gabriella's phone, and the dial tone that replaced Gabriella's not so happy voice,

"What's up man?" Chad came up to him,

"Brie's angry at me," Troy sighed, Chad smirked,

"Man I'm telling you to just be straight up with her, do you know how hard this will be to pull off?"

"If it's not hard it's not worth doing, Chad it's our 20 years," Troy pointed out, Chad held up his hands in defence,

"I know, I know jeez you'd think it was your wedding anniversary," Chad smirked,

"Don't start with me,"

"Fine, fine, but can you help me with this? The stupid thing won't stop moving!" Chad said annoyed as he managed to get a grip on the wriggling ball of black fur. Troy smiled as his eyes reached the animal,

"_She's going to love you,"_ Troy decided.

-

-

After arriving in the hospital, Gabriella completely immersed herself in her work. She spent the first two hours in the filing rooms sorting out files of patients and alphabetizing them according to last name. Of course to be in the room, Gabriella had to sign a ton of forms, most of them pertaining to patient confidentiality and what not. Most doctors and nurses hated being in the room.

Why?

That meant hours and hours of being in there by themselves, sorting out files. But that was the reason why Gabriella had decided to do it. She needed some time alone, away from the bustling activities of the hospital and just some time to herself…some time to think.

Troy's comment from their conversation had hurt her badly. It wouldn't have been as bad if he had remembered but didn't want to do anything this year. At least Gabriella knew that their friendship still had some sort of place in Troy's heart and mind. But he had completely dismissed it, didn't even mention it, _once_. Gabriella put the folder she was holding onto the table and sighed as she went to retrieve a new folder and label. She had accidentally ripped the current one, and could only think the gods that the records in the folder were small enough to not be ripped along with the folder.

"Why am I being so bothered about it anyway, so he forgot one year, if he doesn't care I won't," Gabriella mumbled. She nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang in her lab pocket. She answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello…Alex? How'd you get my number… oh Sharpay…right… so… why the sudden call…oh…um…well…" Gabriella stalled, tonight _was_ her and Troy's anniversary, and they had spent it with one another every year since they learned what an anniversary was…she couldn't help but feel guilty about not spending it with him this year,

"_What are you doing? _He's_ the one who forgot, it's not your fault,"_ her mind argued. Gabriella's jaw clenched,

"Alex? I'd love to go tonight."

After spending 3 hours in the office, Gabriella was once again in the midst of the bustling activities in the hospital. As she was going to check on the kid's room, she bumped into Jenny,

"Oh sorry Jenny," Gabriella smiled, she was taken back when the nurse did everything but smile back, in fact, Jenny looked slightly annoyed and cold at the brunette, "Is something wrong?" Jenny scoffed,

"Oh nothing, thanks _so much_ for setting up the date for me," Jenny said sarcastically, and her voice portrayed anything but thanks,

"Did…something happen?

Jenny's eyes flashed, "Did you invite me just so you could make a fool out of me in front of two guys? Don't think I didn't see what happened, you asked me for a double date, I was only trying to help, if I remembered, Troy Bolton was _my_ date not yours!"

"I don't get what you're talking about," Gabriella said quickly, "Troy was your date, and I mean I wasn't going on the date with him,"

"Looks to me you were, you completely ignored your own date, you practically kept Troy all to yourself, if you were trying to rub the fact that you have two guys going after you in my face, you did it," Jenny said coldly,

"Jen-"

"Look, I'm not going to say I'm not mad at you, because I am, but make up your mind! Why are you going out with this Alex person if all you're going to think and talk about is your best friend?" Jenny said, "Why is he even your best friend when you obviously want to be more?"

"No you're wrong, Troy and I are just best friends," Gabriella said sternly, Jenny rolled her eyes,

"What ever, but next time leave me out of it," and with a huff, and a flick of her hair, Jenny left Gabriella standing in the middle of the corridor with confused thoughts of her own. Gabriella couldn't help but admit that there was some truth in Jenny's accusations.

* * *

"What do you mean you don't know?" Alex was irritated, no he was beyond irritated. Right now he should be on his way to pick Gabriella up. To say he was not happy about the way the date went last night was an understatement. He had expected Gabriella to come alone, and even when she exited with Troy Bolton; Alex still had hoped that Gabriella would fall for his charms. But no, Bolton managed to get the pretty brunette caught up in him. She even allowed _him_ to fix her necklace. But Alex was hoping tonight's date with change everything…well at least he hoped there would still be a date after this longer than expected trip to the florist.

"_Look I don't know what kind of flowers she likes or don't like,"_ said Ryan Evans's irritated voice,

"I thought you were her best friend!"

"_She's like a sister to me, but I don't know Sharpay's favourite flower, and we're twins. Why don't you go ask Troy? I'll give you his address, if anyone would know, Troy definitely would."_

Alex frowned. Here was another thing he wasn't comfortable with. Whenever Gabriella was mentioned, the name or the topic Troy Bolton was never far behind. It was as if one couldn't go on without the other. Alex reluctantly accepted Bolton's address but had a smile on his face. He didn't need Troy's suggestion; Alex went and asked for a bouquet of roses. After all, all girls like roses,

"I've got this one covered Ryan," Alex said to his phone.

Meanwhile, while Alex was picking out flowers and arguing with Ryan, Gabriella was in her apartment picking out an outfit. Unlike the date last night, Gabriella could not pull her mind into picking a proper outfit. She wondered what made her so enthusiastic about coordinating her outfit last night, and not tonight. She finally picked out a simple open shouldered peach sweater, a pair of form fitting jeans, and a pair of white boots. She combed her hair, opting to leave it down, and went to reach for her bag when her phone rang, Hopping on one foot to fix her shoe, she picked up her home phone,

"Hello,"

"_Hey Brie,"_ Troy's voice answered her. Gabriella's face instantly hardened,

"Yes?"

"_Are you busy?"_

"As a matter of fact I am," Gabriella said shortly. There was a slight pause on the other line, and Gabriella wondered if she was being too harsh on him.

"_Oh… well do you think you can come over for a bit?"_

"Why?"

"_Well today-I mean I kind of need a little help," _Troy admitted, Gabriella frowned, it was their anniversary, he already had the nerve to forget and now he even dared to ask her to come over on _her_ free night?

"I'm pretty sure you can handle it on your own," Gabriella said coolly, "I have a da—"

"_Please I really need your help,"_ Troy begged softly, over the phone, Gabriella heard something breaking, crashing then Troy groaning, _"Shit no don't touch that-crap!"_ and the phone went dead. Gabriella looked at her phone in surprise, something was happening at his house, and Troy had been speaking so quietly it seemed like he didn't want to be heard. The resounding noise of something crashing at his house, and an unwelcome image of Troy in trouble sent Gabriella groaning as she grabbed her car keys and his house keys,

"I've really got to stop doing this," Gabriella sighed, she quickly dialled Alex's cell phone number, only to find it not going through and meeting his voice mail, so she quickly apologized, and gave him Troy's address and told him to find her there, before she was out the door.

-

-

When Gabriella pulled up the long drive way that led to Troy's house, she once again parked in the reserved spot Troy had for her whenever she came over. Then she made her way up to his door. Irritated at the long walk and slightly shivering from the cold, she rang the doorbell… and no one answered. She rang it repeatedly,

"Troy I hate you so much right now," Gabriella grumbled. Suddenly, in the other side of the door, she heard some stomping, crashing, and them an odd scratching noise at the door. Curious, Gabriella fished out Troy's keys, and made a move to unlock the door.

"Oh my gosh-" the moment the slightest crack appeared from the door, something small, black and furry dashed out, and made a leap at Gabriella. Gabriella laughed; stoop a step back before concentrating on the ball of fur in her arms. The cutest little black poodle looked back at her with the most adorable brown eyes, his little wet nose were sniffing all over her, and his tiny pink tongue sticking out in a pant, occasionally puffing out tiny breaths of warm doggy breath onto her neck.

"H-Hey," Troy appeared next, and Gabriella burst out laughing, her previous resentment completely forgotten at Troy's dishevelled appearance. It was obvious Troy had been trying to get ready for something special, because he had a pair of dark jeans on, and a stripped collared shirt, however, that appearance apparently didn't last long because his hair was a mess, his face was flushed, and his collar was already flipped up and buttons were opened,

"What have you been doing?" Gabriella laughed, giggling slightly when the dog licked her neck, Troy grinned,

"Trying to get your present to sit still," Troy retorted, Gabriella stopped and looked up at him with wide eyes,

"My p-present?"

"Remember when we graduated elementary school, and you asked your mom for a dog, but she was allergic?" Troy reminded her, Gabriella nodded, barely remembering, "Well since you don't live with your mom anymore, and I really don't like you living alone, I thought I'd get you're a little roommate," Troy grinned, Gabriella looked down at the puppy that now laid still in her arms. The dog let out a tiny growl, apparently unhappy with the lack of attention on him, so Gabriella lifted her hands and scratched between his ears. The little dog slipped into contentment and his tiny tail wagged happily against Gabriella's arms, Gabriella looked up again, and met with Troy's beautiful blue eyes, he had the softest, most genuine and beautiful smile on his face,

"Happy 20th Brie," Troy said softly. Gabriella didn't say anything, but launched herself at him, squealing and hugging him with all her might. Troy reacted naturally, and wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her in close. Unlike the two, the canine didn't like being in the middle of the hug, and squirmed out of Gabriella's grasp,

"Oh!" Gabriella gasped as the tiny puppy escaped her arms. Now free of his confinement, the black poodle barked happily running down the walkway,

"Shoot!" Troy and Gabriella tore after the puppy and for the next 15 minutes, chased the small black blur of fur around the large property, until they finally caught him happily digging in a patch of soil, dirtying him with flying pieces of dirt that apparently made the dog very happy.

"Great now I have to give him another bath," Troy groaned, Gabriella laughed,

"C'mon, I'll help."

-

-

Alex had stood outside Gabriella's apartment for the past 5 minutes, the bouquet of roses in his hand, and ringing the doorbell. His happiness was disappearing quite quickly, replaced with irate. Then the door next to Gabriella's apartment opened, and a middle aged woman came out,

"Are you looking for Miss Montez?" the woman asked, Alex nodded, "Well she just went out a while ago," she said. Alex quickly thanked her and made his way to the elevator while taking out his phone, forgetting to check after his conversation with Ryan. He was surprised to see a voicemail waiting for him. As he listened to it, the grip on the flowers tightened. Alex hopped into his car, and made beeline for the property.

-

-

"You're right, it's hard to wash a dog," Gabriella sputtered as the tiny puppy, now affectionately named Shadow for his dark fur and fast scurrying, gave another shake, and sent bubbles flying towards his two new owners. Troy-who had made the mistake to be the one to dump the puppy into the bath tub, had been reduced to his wife beater which was also near the point of needing to get washed as well. Gabriella, not wanting to get her sweater dirty, had changed into one of Troy's t-shirts.

"Don't you dare walk out on me," Troy warned playfully as he tried to get the puppy to stay still, "Shadow stay still!" Troy grunted, keeping the puppy in his large hands. Shadow responded by barking playfully, and then wagged his tail madly as Gabriella managed to scrub some of the liquid soap around his tiny body.

"Looks like he's enjoying it," Troy smirked,

"You bet he is," Gabriella laughed, scratching his head,

"Next time you can wash me too," Troy teased, Gabriella couldn't help the blush that rose on her cheeks, instead she glared at him, and flicked some soapy water at him,

"Idiot," she mumbled, but a hint of a smile appeared on her face, she was so preoccupied with her thoughts, she failed to see the soapy puppy slide out of Troy's hands, and jump out of the tub, showering her with water, "Oh!" Gabriella groaned at the semi-wet shirt, and heard Troy's hysterical laughing. Her best friend since forever was laughing at her, barely able to stay crouching as his body shook with unsuppressed laughter, tears nearly coming out of his eyes,

"It's not funny!" Gabriella whined,

"Oh yes it is," Troy barely got out, annoyed, Gabriella scooped up a handful of water, and poured it over Troy's head, effectively drenching his clothes and his laughter,

"Hey!"

"I told you it's not funny," Gabriella huffed, crossing her arms, and sitting on the edge of the tub, quite happy with her work. Of course crossing her arms might also help smother the rather loud and hard beating of her heart as the water soaked Troy's white wife beater, leaving the piece of clothing to star becoming semi transparent. Her eyes couldn't help but wander his well defined abs, or how his brown hair now sagged against his disturbingly clear blue eyes. She was in a trance so long; she didn't realize Troy was standing right in front of her,

"Brie," Troy's face was mere inches away from hers, and Gabriella's breath hitched as her brown eyes met with his blue eyes. Since when had her best friend suddenly become so… physically appealing?

"Yea?" Gabriella breathed out, Troy's gently smile turned into a sly smirk,

"It's not funny," he said with all seriousness, and then with a shove, he pushed her over the edge, sending her into the tub,

"Troy Jonathan Bolton!" Gabriella shrieked as the soapy water washed over Troy's shirt and her jeans and hair, soaking them to cling to her body. Even though Troy was almost equally as soaked when the water splashed up, he couldn't help but grin happily at the sight of his best friend in the tub; his grin could not possibly turn upside down at all especially when his t-shirt clung to Gabriella's well defined curves.

"You are so dead!" Gabriella growled, leaping out of the tub, Troy's thoughts all disappeared as he quickly turned around-nearly slipping-and dashed out of the washroom. Struggling herself, Gabriella, still in her drenched t-shirt and jeans-slid then ran after Troy. Curse him for having hardwood floor! Barking happily, Shadow ran after his owners.

Troy barely understood what came over him. One second he was pissed at his best friend for getting him wet like that, but then she was sitting over the tub like a little devilish angel, smirking at his situation, and her lips were pulled into a rare sly smirk he swore Chad had taught her, and her eyes were sparkling underneath the artificial bathroom light. Then Troy just found himself drawn to her, and his face mere inches away from hers. Gabriella had looked like she was in a trance too, and Troy couldn't help but feel a tingling sense of satisfaction when he felt her breath hitch when she suddenly realized he was so close. Troy looked into her chocolate-y brown pools, so warm and sweet, like his favourite drink during a cold winter, or his favourite snack during summers. They were the colours of the beautiful autumn leaves Troy loved to watch during the autumn season, and they resembled the baby birds that hatched during spring. For a moment, for one single moment, Troy swore he was going to kiss her.

Then he pushed her, in hopes of hiding this new feeling from his best friend, Gabriella shrieked, and all of a sudden, they were best friends again, and Troy dashed his way out of his house. Behind him, he could hear Gabriella running after him, and smiled hearing her occasional squeaks when her wet clothes slid on his hardwood floor, Shadow was running along side them, still just as soapy and feeling as happy as Troy was.

"Troy Jonathan Bolton get back here you evil little twit!" Gabriella screamed angrily, and Troy spared a look backwards, Gabriella's brunette curls were clinging to her shoulder blades, and strands of her bangs fell against the side of her face, the little droplets of water did nothing to dim the sparkle in her eyes, and his t-shirt now drenched clung against her petite frame. Suddenly, Troy thought it wouldn't be too bad if Gabriella had tackled him to the floor.

And tackle she did, the moment Troy had paused to observe her, Gabriella completed the distance between them, and her tiny body lunged at his, and Troy's arms automatically enclosed itself around her, before losing balance, and sending them both to the floor. Troy grunted as his butt met harshly with his wood floor, but smiled slightly feeling Gabriella bunched up against him, his body cushioning hers.

"That hurt," Troy complained,

"You deserved it," Gabriella replied, glaring at him, "For getting me all wet, I hope you know I showered and I ready to go out,"

"Hey what can be more fun than washing a dog?" Troy grinned a silly smile, moving his eyebrows up and down comically, and Gabriella couldn't help but sigh and smile. There was something she was supposed to do tonight…but she couldn't remember now, not when Troy's blue eyes bore into hers like it was doing now, and especially not when his arms was wrapped around her so comfortably like that, it made her feel safe, and content, as if she was in her own bed. Gabriella was ready to just lean her head down, and fall asleep listening to the beating of Troy's heart.

_Ding-dong_

"_Way to ruin the moment,"_ Troy groaned inwardly, helping Gabriella get up. Troy realized his wife beater was now pretty soaked and semi transparent, Gabriella's wet clothes transferring the liquid to his during their little hug. Gabriella was already half way to the door, smiling happily to herself, it was then Troy remembered it was still pretty chilly outside, and the wet clothes she wore was definitely not suitable for the weather outside, so Troy quickly fetched Gabriella's abandoned coat.

Alex stood outside the large house, at first completely flabbergasted at the size of the house. Troy Bolton was definitely in the right profession. Then behind the door, he could hear muffled laughter, footsteps, and muffled barking, then a clear cry of 'Troy Jonathan Bolton' by a familiar voice. The door swung opened, and Alex was once again left out of breath. Gabriella stood at the door, her hair wet, and clothes clinging on tightly.

"Alex!" Gabriella gasped, she had completely forgotten…they were supposed to have a date tonight, "Y-You got my message?"

"Yea," Alex said shortly, still slightly caught up with Gabriella's surprise appearance. Suddenly Gabriella was aware at how she was dressed and blushed, fidgeting slightly, she then turned around, with all intention to get something longer and dry, but bumped into someone behind her. Troy was standing behind her, still in his wife beater only with her coat in his arms,

"You'll need to wear this, it's cold," Troy said shortly, before looking at Alex, "Alex," Troy said politely,

"Mr. Bolton," Alex said with a grim smile, the smile didn't improve when Troy instinctively wrapped the small coat around Gabriella, tucking it safely,

"Oh, Shadow!" Gabriella suddenly gasped, realizing the puppy had yet to be cleaned. Troy suddenly realized this was not a random show up at his house, Alex was here… for Gabriella. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together,

"Gabby, I think you're supposed to be on a date," Troy said quietly, "I'll take care of Shadow,"

"But I promised I'd help,"

"It's alright, it's rude to keep someone waiting," Troy replied, albeit in a thin voice, "I'll keep Shadow with me for tonight and you can come over again when you have the time, you clothes are on my bed and I think your spare jeans are in the closet…somewhere," the latter made a small smile flit onto Troy's face as well as Gabriella's,

"Well if you're sure…give me a minute Alex," and Gabriella left not before giving Troy a quick kiss on the cheek-_"to thank him,"_ Gabriella's mind convinced her-before going inside for a quick change. At the front door, Alexander and Troy looked at each other hardly. There was no doubt the two will not be getting along, and there was definitely no doubt what…or rather who would be the one standing between them.

* * *

**A/N: Oh… I sense a little jealousy going on!! So Jenny's out of the picture now, but don't worry, Troy' won't be lonely for long, does that make you feel better? –Smile- Oh, FYI, Shadow is Vanessa's pet dog. He's adorable!**


	12. Can't take my eyes off of you

For those of you wondering when Troy and Gabriella are going to come to their senses and finally admit they love one another… it may be soon, hmm now as for when they're going to get together… that's a WHOLE different story. –Smile- Unfortunately not much has been happening with the cast, well that isn't too unfortunate because that means they're working and we'll be seeing more of them, but nothing much to update.

**Unfortunately Zac and Vanessa didn't get a chance to spend Valentines Day together. Vanessa was back in California for Valentines Day, but Zac had already left for London, apparently to film his upcoming movie 'Me and Orson Wells' in Isle of Man.**

**Right now, Vanessa is back in Austin to continue filming 'Will'. Apparently, they had gotten permission from a school to film parts of the movie, and students were able to see the cast, including a very lucky sixth grader who got an autograph and picture with Vanessa. **

**Here's a cute connection, as you all know Zac had been working on his film 'Seventeen again' and Vanessa on 'Will'. Well did you know both their movies have a star from 'Friends'? Zac was able to work with former Friends star Matthew Perry (Chandler) and Vanessa is currently working with Lisa Kudrow (who played Phoebe in Friends). **

**Vanessa's sophomore album is **_**almost**_** complete. As you may have heard, she had recorded a song called 'I Will' which was written by Hilary Duff; however that song has now been taken off Vanessa's album because it didn't flow with the other songs. Again, expect to hear a single from Vanessa's album sometime in the next few months.**

Aside from that, nothing much has been happening; Corbin, Monique, Ashley and Lucas are all busy with their own things, so I hope things go well with them. I'm pretty sure once filming for HSM3 starts, there will be more news.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical 1 or 2, its plot or any of its characters. I am merely borrowing them for my own story purpose… if I did own their characters, Troy and Gabriella would've kissed more than once before the second movie, and Ryan would have someone special for him.

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 12: Can't take my eyes off of you_

* * *

"Gabriella!"

The last thing Gabriella expected on a Sunday morning as she opened her apartment door was Sharpay squealing at the top of her lungs, and then tackling her lithe blonde body at the brunette with a force Gabriella never knew the blonde had.

"Sh-Shar-" Gabriella stuttered, fearing something had happened to her friend, "What happened?" but Sharpay pulled away, and her bright brown eyes sparkled with delight. As the season was nearing spring, the snow was getting mushy and slippery, and more than once Gabriella had cursed lightly when she stepped into puddles of melted snow, dirtying the bottom of her jeans, or feeling the drop of cold water falling onto the top of her head. But, as Sharpay Evans stood for nothing less than perfection, Gabriella was not surprised to see her friend's blonde hair to be perfectly curled and framing her porcelain white face. Her wide smile was coated with a light cherry coloured lip stick.

"You'll never believe what happened!" Sharpay squealed Gabriella hadn't seen Sharpay this excited since she had been admitted into Broadway, "I'm engaged!"

"What?!"

"Zeke proposed to me last night!" Sharpay laughed happily, she lifted her shaking left hand, and Gabriella gently took her hand, examining her middle finger. The engagement right was delicate, and while Gabriella would've assumed Sharpay would want something extravagant a few years ago, the ring the blonde bore right now was nothing less than perfect. The petite silver band had two tiny diamonds border lining the bigger diamond in the middle that sparkled in the afternoon sun. All of a sudden, Gabriella felt slightly shabby in her hooded sweater and comfortable jeans.

"It's gorgeous… it's perfect for you guys," Gabriella praised softly, beaming, Sharpay beamed back, nodding,

"I love it, it's so amazing! I didn't even know he was going to-oh my goodness I was crying like a baby! And my make up must've been horrible-if anyone saw it they would've thought Zeke was crazy to want to marry someone as crazy as I am," Sharpay said softly, and for a rare moment, Gabriella saw the vulnerable side of the tough, vivacious blonde Gabriella had come to dread and love at the same time,

"Shar, that's what makes the both of you so perfect for one another," Gabriella smiled, and Sharpay raised her head to wait for an explanation, "You are crazy, you're one of the craziest and wildest people I know, but Zeke is also the most silent and calm person I know, you need a little calm in your life, and he needs a little wildness, you two are perfect for one another," Gabriella smiled. What ever worries Sharpay previous held, it was wiped away and replaced by a genuine smile,

"You always know exactly what to say Gabby," Sharpay said softly, hugging the petite brunette, "Oh you have to come over tonight! We're celebrating the engagement," and the famous Sharpay Evans began to show a tinted red blush as the last word made it through her mind. "I invited the guys too; it won't be complete without the entire gang,"

"I won't miss it—Oh but Shadow," having gotten over the excitement of having a dog of her own, Gabriella realized she lived in an apartment, and her apartment didn't let pets in-even if the second owner was famous Troy Bolton. So Shadow had had permanent residence at his 'daddy's' house, and Gabriella would drop by every night to see him, and make sure he didn't make _too_ much of a mess at Troy's. Sometimes, Gabriella wondered which one she was supposed to check up on, Troy or Shadow. Which ever the case was, Gabriella had secretly harboured a satisfied feeling, with Shadow there, Gabriella's mind had momentarily came up with a justifiable and reasonable reason as to why Gabriella loved to go to Troy's house all the time. Of course, there was still this feeling Gabriella was experiencing that her mind had yet to come up with a reason for.

"Troy will probably find some expensive doggy hotel to put his little baby in, honestly, besides you that dog is the second thing Troy would do anything for, "Sharpay rolled her eyes with her own smile," Oh and feel free to bring along your little boyfriend" Sharpay smirked and Gabriella blushed. 2 weeks after their second date, and a week after their third, Alex had asked Gabriella to be his girlfriend. At first Gabriella felt hesitant, her mind screamed,

_What would Troy say? What would he think?_

But then Gabriella reasoned, Troy _had_ been the person who told her she needed to start dating again, and Alex had been received quite well by her friends-with the exception of Troy, and Gabriella didn't know what to make of the feeling she got when she sometimes got the idea that Troy was jealous of Alex, because Alex was dating Gabriella. Regardless, Gabriella had accepted, but firmly stated she wanted to go slowly. Well, slow or not, Gabriella was no longer the resident single, and Troy became a constant thought in her mind.

"That's good to know Shar," Gabriella rolled her eyes playfully, "But really, I'm very happy for you, you two deserve each other. _Finally_ we can stop hiding every time you two are in the room together," Gabriella teased, Sharpay regained her wit, and smirked back,

"I wouldn't be the one talking," Sharpay fired back instantly with a teasing tone of her own. Gabriella didn't even _want_ to know what Sharpay meant by that, "I have to go, I just left Zeke outside for 10 minutes, he wanted to come but couldn't find a space,"

"You just ditched your fiancé for me? I'm touched!"

"Don't push it Montez," Sharpay shot back, but laughed well naturedly, the term fiancé sounded absolutely wonderful. The friends shared a quick hug, "So I'll see you tonight?"

"Definitely," Gabriella smiled. A few minutes after Sharpay left, Gabriella's phone rang

"Hello,"

"_Did Sharpay tell you?"_ Troy said excitedly, Gabriella laughed,

"She just left, you sound more excited than they are,"

"_Are you kidding me? There's someone who wants to take the drama queen for life, who wouldn't be happy?"_

"Troy Jonathan that was not nice!" Gabriella scolded,

"_You know its true Brie, but you know I'm happy for them, they deserve one another, hell they can balance each other out. Sharpay needs to get tamed and Zeke needs to liven up a little," _Troy said knowledgably. Gabriella smiled softly, her insides warming, not exactly how she had said it to Sharpay, but essentially the same idea.

"That's what I told Sharpay," Gabriella said softly, she could practically _see_ Troy smile,

"_I knew you would, and it probably sounded better coming from you too,"_ Troy said, well, everything sounded better coming from her he decided.

"Flattery will get you no where Mr Bolton," Gabriella teased, leaning comfortably back onto the sofa, "Are you going to the party tonight?"

"_You're kidding right? Sharpay will have my head if I don't go,"_ Troy exclaimed, _"Plus if I didn't go you'd be disappointed, and I couldn't bear disappointing you,"_ Troy had said it in a teasing voice, but deep down, the last thing Troy Bolton every wanted to do, was hurt Gabriella Montez in any way

"Oh yes because I can't live without seeing you once," Gabriella said dramatically, giggling, "It'll be a good party, relive old times,"

"_We're not that old,"_ Troy pointed out, _"24 and still young," _But then a thought came to the basketball player, _"Is Alex coming along?"_ again, that odd feeling of satisfaction over took Gabriella as her best friend said the name of her boyfriend in a bitter tone,

"Yea, Sharpay invited him along, I need to call him," Gabriella pointed out, and instantly regretted doing so, because she already knew that Troy would then suggest hanging up to give her time to talk with her boyfriend, and Gabriella wasn't ready to stop talking to her best friend yet, he was much too comfortable to hang up on, "What are we going to do with Shadow?" Gabriella pointed out immediately,

"_I am not leaving him here alone; god knows what will happen to him and my house,"_ Troy protested, _"Oh wait- he wants to speak to you, here, want to talk to mommy?"_ Gabriella couldn't help but laugh at Troy's baby voice when speaking to their puppy. Over the phone, Gabriella could hear the panting of the little puppy as if he had been running all day-which would not be surprising. Then there were a few barks, and pants, and then Troy had yanked the phone away, _"He just licked the phone!"_

"Aw! That's a smart boy!" Gabriella gushed,

"_Yea right you're not the one cleaning it!"_

"Again, he's so smart!" Gabriella laughed.

"_Your mom's spoiling you, I don't know how I'm going to live with you now,"_ Troy said comically to his dog while speaking into the phone,

"I only spoil him because his dad won't," Gabriella pointed out,

"_Hey I didn't see you buying him the huge dog house__ you__ saw last week! All I wanted was a normal one, but no, it _had_ to be the biggest one because mommy liked it," _Troy said in a whining voice, laughing occasionally. Gabriella grinned, she still remembered their dog trip last week, they had went to pick out a mini dog house to be placed inside Troy's house, so Shadow would have somewhere to go. Gabriella had spotted a beautiful mahogany dog house that was easily the size of a cabinet. The inside was spacious, and Gabriella already had ideas of how to arrange pillows and cushions, and even amused herself by saying their dog would have a corner for his toys.

Troy, on the other hand, had wanted a simple, normal sized, white and brown dog house. Gabriella protested, and for half an hour, the two of them argued like a married couple, until Gabriella pulled out her 'doggy pout' card, which caused Troy to crumble away like the quick melting snow outside. And a few minutes of 'attempting' to not fall under Gabriella's gleaming brown eyes – not to mention the gorgeous pink lips that were puckering out at him – Troy had found himself lining up at the cashier with said dog house on a large cart, while Gabriella hummed merrily to pick up some toys.

"Admit it, it looks gorgeous," Gabriella finally said, "Listen I have to go, make a quick call and get ready for tonight, I don't know _what_ to make for their party—and no Troy, I did mash potatoes last time,"

"_Aw not fair, I love mash potatoes!"_

"Exactly, which was why no one was able to have seconds, and why I'm not going to make it for an engagement party, you'll finish it before their speech was finished!"

"_That's harsh babe," _Gabriella shook her head at him smiling,

"Don't even think of pulling that card, it won't work," Gabriella said defiantly, ignoring the slight melting of her heart. Troy sighed,

"_Fine, I'll just have to _wait_ in _misery_ because _my best girl friend_ refuses to let me enjoy her cooking,"_ Troy said dramatically, _"And I will have to bear with it while I take _our_ dog to the doggy hotel,"_

"Good boy," Gabriella laughed. The two of the hung up, and Gabriella stood up and went to her fridge and glanced around before pulling out some potatoes, and mayonnaise and some eggs to boil. Gabriella then cringed, remembering she had to call Alex about the plan tonight. After a brief and relatively painless call-wait, she mean brief and _wonderful_ call to her _boyfriend_, Gabriella set out to make the potato salad. She grinned, she had a feeling Troy would be the first one at the food table that night…right behind Chad.

* * *

Alexander Ricci hummed a happy little tune as he quite literally danced around his apartment like a kid at Christmas. Barely a month ago, he had met a wonderful girl, and now said girl was his girlfriend. Alex grinned, whoever said his chick magnet had worn off after reaching 25 was dead wrong, and he had Gabriella to prove it. Don't get him wrong, Alex wasn't the type of person with liked girls as trophies and to hang on his arm to show off, but as he was reaching 30-he cringed as he was bitterly reminded by the year and date shown on his calendar- he was beginning to wonder if he'll be settling in for the 'merry life' of being single. Then Gabriella Montez had shown up, and it was a different story all together.

Alex liked Gabriella,_ a lot_; the young woman was kind, sweet and caring. She was easy to talk to, and easily one of the best listeners Alex has encountered, she was what Alex would want to see coming home after a long gruelling day of directing stuck up actors/actresses and working with stubborn filming equipment. Personality aside, it helped matters a lot when Gabriella was a young, 24 years old woman who was absolutely gorgeous right down to the perfect curves in just the right places. Alex knew that within time, Gabriella would start to warm up to him, already she had accepted him as her boyfriend.

Earlier that day, Alex had received a call from her, asking him to go to Sharpay's engagement party with her. Of course Alex had already known about it, Ryan wasted no time in tell him what a 'relief' it was now that someone would take his twin sister away. Alex had originally already been invited, but when Gabriella had called him and asked him to go… well the fact that he was already going wouldn't be too hurtful, and Alex had kept it quiet that he had already planned to go, and 'agreed' to accompany her to the party. Gabriella then said it would be a great party, as the _entire_ gang would be there.

Entire gang.

That was what made Alex do a sudden back track. Of course he did not voice his concern to Gabriella; she seemed to be preoccupied with something, speaking hurriedly. She had said something about making something for the party and Alex had decided to leave her alone so she could work. He hoped it wasn't potatoes. But potatoes were the last of his problems, entire gang meant everyone, every single person that Gabriella had known since high school. _All_ her friends would be there, all her best friends would be there… best friends…best friends would then lead to one person. Troy Bolton.

From the very start, Alex had sensed a deep connection between Gabriella and Troy. He was no blind, Alex had been there, and had seen how Gabriella had so calmly went up to the basketball star, and fixed his shirt, unabashedly unbuttoning the top two buttons, not even flinching when she raised to his level, and was nearly nose to nose while fixing his hair all the while standing in the public with random strangers passing them by. It was all normal, for them. Now, as Gabriella's boyfriend, Alex had more than enough reason to hate the basketball star. After all, what red blooded male would want to see _his_ girlfriend being _that_ friendly to another guy? Alex paused in his ponderings when the number he was trying to call finally got through,

"'_Lex this better be important,"_ said the familiar irritated voice, Alex suppressed a wry grin,

"That's a nice way to greet your brother Annie," Alex rolled his eyes. His 20 years old sister, Anne Ricci-who he calls Annie just to annoy her-was, quite bluntly put, a model wannabe. Not exactly unfortunate looking, Anne had long, straight hair the same shade as Alex's; coal black, but instead of having the same grassy green eyes Alex had inherited from his mom, Anne had the lightest hazelnut eyes, eyes Alex had learned never to take for as innocence.

"_I have a photo shoot audition tomorrow, and if I don't make it because I didn't have enough time to prepare I will come over to your apartment and murder you,"_ said his little sister. Alex rolled his eyes, always so dramatic. Sometimes, Alex thought her calling wasn't modeling, but as an actress, Anne certainly did not need any help blowing up spontaneously.

"Would it help if some of your pictures included a certain Lakers MVP?" Alex lowered his bait, knowing his little sister well enough that she would be tempted to take it, and tempted she was, because there was an instant change in her voice,

"_Troy Bolton?"_

"The one and only,"

"_How on earth did a mini director like you get to meet the likes of a superstar like him? I'm telling you Alexander if you're pulling my leg, God forbid I get down there—"_

"Will you shut up and listen?" Alex snapped, getting impatient with his sister, "Look, my girlfriend invited me over for a friend's engagement party, and I thought you'd like to go, I'll even introduce you to Troy Bolton," _"That way, his attention won't be on _my_ girlfriend,"_ Alex thought bitterly,

"_And how do you expect to do that? Last I heard, the only time you saw him was 100 rows away from centre court at the back of an arena,"_ Anne said,

"My girlfriend is a very close--good friend of his," Alex said through gritted teeth. He could practically _see_ his sister smiling as that too-quick-thinking brain of hers connected the dots he had so 'graciously' laid out for her,

"_Oh I get it; you want me to distract him so your girlfriend would actually pay attention to you,"_

"Do you want to go or not?" Alex snapped, "I can withdraw my invitation as easily as I offered it,"

"_Relax, don't get your tongue in a knot, lord knows you'll have enough white hair once you reach 30, which isn't too far away,"_ Anne smirked, _"You better not be late picking me up."_

* * *

After taste testing it a couple of times, Gabriella left the potato salad she had made in the fridge, before going to change. Considering this was such an exciting and formal event-after all, it was only once your best friend gets engaged for the first time, Gabriella browsed through her closet, and for once wished Sharpay was there to help her decide what to wear.

_Ding-dong_

"_Speak of the devil,"_ Gabriella thought amusedly, she would quite literally fall onto the ground laughing if Sharpay was at the other side of her door, as it was still quite early, and she wasn't expecting Alex any time soon. Opening the door, her face grew into a look of warmth and love-ahem- _care_ as Troy stood on the other side, looking quite casual with his faded black t-shirt with a peace sign on it, and jeans and sneakers, a black duffle bag at his side.

"I hope you know you're at the wrong house," Gabriella smiled, letting him in, duffle bag and all, "And I really hope you're not going to Sharpay's like this,"

"Not if I want a death wish," Troy retorted grinning, "I-uh, needed help with what to wear, so I picked a couple of shirts I liked and thought you'd like to play puzzle with me?" Troy asked hopefully, his own blue eyes scanning through the form fitting casual jeans that made her legs seem miles long, and the old red and white Wildcats hooded sweater Gabriella had stolen from him a while back, deciding it was comfortable enough to make it hers. Of course Troy had occasionally asked for it back at times, and Troy had subconsciously loved the feel of Gabriella's scent all over his sweater, and then loved wearing it, the scent reminding him of her everywhere he went. He was not surprised to see the large sleeves rolled up to her petite wrists, or the sweater almost falling down to her knees.

"Oh well you're not in luck, I have no idea what to wear either," Gabriella said sheepishly, walking to her room, knowing Troy would follow. Her closet was opened where her clothes were neatly displayed, "I want something not too fancy, but formal enough for you know… these kinds of occasions,"

"If I knew the answer for that I'd be calling you a lot less about clothing problem," Troy joked. He scanned through Gabriella's closet, not his first time looking through her clothes. He had to smile inwardly when he saw that Gabriella had arranged her clothes in a way that t-shirts and casuals were on one side, and more formal and professional styles were on another. Yes, he definitely needed Gabby with him more often-then something caught his eye,

"Brie, what's what?" Troy went and pulled out a shimmer-y turquoise tank dress, "You should totally wear this!"

"I got that for my birthday a few years ago… I thought it was too short," Gabriella said thoughtfully, personally, she _still_ thought it was too short for her liking, but Gabriella snuck a look at Troy's face, he looked like he really liked the dress, he was still holding it, and looking at it up and down in such a way that Gabriella wondered if he was trying to imagine her wearing it. Gabriella blushed at the thought.

"Well I think you should wear it," Troy said firmly, handing her the dress, giggling Gabriella nodded, taking the dress to the washroom. A few minutes later, she came back out, slightly red, but wearing the dress none the less. Troy wasn't facing the door to her room, so his back was turned to her,

"I'm done," she said timidly,

"Finally I'm sure it's not…that…" whatever Troy wanted to say, it completely died off as his eyes widened, and this time, he didn't even care Gabriella was looking at him intently, he didn't care that she saw how his eyes had begun trailing every single curve and turn and contour of her body. Suddenly Troy was aware how hard it was to breathe. Gabriella looked absolutely stunning. She didn't even look like the girl he called his best friend! While the dress could be considered short for Gabriella's standard, Troy found the length to be perfectly appropriate, landing just a few inches above her knees. It was shimmering beneath her room lights, and Gabriella's dark, exotic skin tone, and luscious dark tresses were especially brought out. Especially her eyes…oh Troy liked her eyes…

"So… is that… a good thing?" Gabriella asked timidly well aware of his wondering eyes, and she squirmed with delight. Troy nodded his throat constricted,

"It's good-I mean better then good… damn Gabby you look hot!" Troy said bluntly. He was suddenly too well aware of his speeding heart and how all blood seemed to have drained from his face, then rush back all at once. Gabriella blushed,

"Language Troy Jonathan," Gabriella said softly twiddling the hem of her dress, clearing her throat she said, "Alright, let's decide what you should wear." Making his mind come back out of the gutter-not too successful he might add, because Gabriella wasn't anywhere _near_ the back of his mind now-Troy rather stupidly followed Gabriella out of her room, his eyes all too occupied at watching the turquoise coloured dress shimmer from the lights ever time Gabriella moved.

"Ok, show me what you got," Gabriella announced, snapping Troy out of his trance,

"What?!" Troy nearly fell onto his bum from shock, _what_ did she just say?

"I said show me your clothes… in your bag, it _is_ why you came over isn't it?" Gabriella said slowly, cocking her head to one side, a smalls mile playing on her face, her eyes sparkling with warmth, Troy thought Gabriella could not look any more adorable like that. Gabriella fought her instincts to squirm under Troy's scrutinizing look, fighting off a pleasant blush that threatened to rise, and fighting that feeling again, that feeling that made her warm all over like being under the comfortable summer sun, yet sending a shiver down her spine. Troy made her feel… well beautiful.

"Right," Troy gathered his thoughts and unzipped his duffle bag, pulling out several collared shirts, some wife beaters, a couple of jackets, 2 pairs of scrunched up dress pants (what was it with men and dress pants?) and a whole lot of dark jeans.

"So I guess jeans are probably what you'll wear then," Gabriella said, observing his 'variety' of clothing. Troy just grinned sheepishly, "Troy, none of these shirts remotely match,"

"What? They were comfortable," Troy pouted slightly, but he could see what Gabriella had meant, who ever heard of forest green shirt and a red jacket? "You're right; they make me look like a Christmas tree,"

"A very good looking one," Gabriella blurted unconsciously, Troy stopped for a moment, looking at her with an odd expression on his face, and Gabriella snacked herself inwardly,

"Well now that you mentioned it I am very hard to resist," Troy smirked, wiggling his eye brow suggestively, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth, Gabriella breathed out a sigh of relief, good, he didn't suspect anything,

"_What is there to suspect?"_ her mind teased her, and Gabriella shooed the annoying voice away,

"Yes, very hard, but you need to work out more," Gabriella teased back, and poked at his abs through his t-shirt, and found her statement to be wrong… oh so very wrong, and Troy had his rock hard abs to prove it. Troy's amused eyes turned to a playful glare,

"Oh really? I bet there isn't a lot of places for you to run away from me in an apartment," Troy smirked, Gabriella recognized it all too well and backed away quickly,

"Troy Jonathan Bolton don't you dare—EEK!" Gabriella shrieked, jumping in her dress when Troy's hands attacked her waist, roaring with laughter, Troy immediately chased after Gabriella who was determined to find some sort of secret room she didn't know about in her apartment. Troy's mismatched clothes were left forgotten.

-

-

"Just, stay here while I go pick up Gabriella," Alex said for the final time, exiting his car. Anne crossed her arms in anger, huffing,

"Fine, but don't you dare forget about me down here or—" Alex slammed his door in the middle of Anne's sentence, and trying to rid himself of irate, entered Gabriella's apartment complex, and began to head up to her level. Trying to imagine what she might wear, Alex's irate at her sister disappeared quite quickly.

-

-

"No, please don't!"

"Don't be so scared,"

"No _please_!"

"You wanted this; you brought this onto yourself,"

"Please I beg of you don't-Troy!" Gabriella shrieked again as Troy loomed above her, his hands tickling. Gabriella squirmed underneath him,

"Say it," he smirked,

"I'm sorry!" Gabriella laughed breathlessly,

"And what else? That I'm the most perfect best friend ever," Troy smirked, "C'mon Gabby, say it and it'll end," Gabriella bit at the bottom of her lip, and Troy found it hard not to add his onto it as well, he shook his mind to rid himself of the thought,

_Ding-Dong_

"T-The door, someone's-I have to go get the door," Gabriella said breathlessly, pushing him off her while he was distracted, Troy once again landed on his bum painfully, and Gabriella giggled and ran off, knowing full well Troy was less than a step behind her, "No Troy-not now!"

"You're not getting away Montez, until I hear you say it," Troy growled playfully, Gabriella skidded to a halt at the door, her faced flushed and laughing joyfully, her fingers trembling from laughter, trying to open the door. When the lock finally turned, Troy nearly tackled Gabriella to the ground, his arms around her waist in an urge to get her to fulfill his demand,

"Say it—oh," Troy stopped and looked up. Alex stood outside looking quite formal with a white dress shirt underneath a black coat and dress pants. Alex narrowed his eyes, seeing Gabriella bunched up against Troy and in his arms, looking quite comfortable and content to stay there. Gabriella blushed, _why_ did he come at such the wrong time? And why was she and Troy always in such a bad position when he did? Wait, it wasn't too bad…

"Alex, oh sorry I lost track of time," Gabriella stuttered, and slipped out of Troy's arm, missing his warm embrace and unknown to her, Troy missed having her fitting perfectly in his arms. Gabriella cleared her throat, and smoothed down her dress as best she can and ran a hand through her hair, "Troy needed help picking out his clothes—Oh my gosh Troy we still didn't do that!"

"And whose fault is that?" Troy laughed, and Gabriella glared at him, smacking his arms,

"Yours," she said, "Come in, Alex have a seat," Alex walked in, sending a glare at the basketball player, who returned it with just as powerful. Alex saw the different types of clothes lined out, and they were all male, so that would basically back up what Gabriella had told him. But he still didn't like the fact Troy had so easily been allowed in. After all, both of them were grown men-especially when Troy Bolton was young and so much more 'immature' than he was.

"Troy the food is in the fridge…"

"Got'cha," Troy said, already standing up and understanding, "What about…"

"I've got something," she finished and disappeared into her own room while Troy went into the kitchen. Alex observed his actions carefully. Troy opened the fridge, and took out a big bowl of something, and instantly Troy's face split into a big grin and let out a big whoop,

"Troy Bolton you will stay away from that until _everyone_ gets one serving," said Gabriella's stern voice from her room, Troy groaned, although Alex could see Troy really didn't mean it. As if he had lived there for years, Troy took out some aluminium foil, and draped it over whatever was in the bowl, then pulled out a bag, and placed the bowl in before setting it onto the counter again. Gabriella came back out,

"Potato salad, did I tell you how much I loved you today?" Troy said as excited as a little boy. Gabriella only smiled warmly, her eyes locked onto her best friend, not once reacting weirdly to the 'three words' said from her best friend. Alex frowned even deeper,

"Here, wear this, take this jacket, this pair of jeans," Gabriella instructed, holding out a black blazer that had come from Troy's duffle bag, a pair of jeans and a black, silk like material button up shirt. Troy nodded, took it from her, added a quick kiss on the cheek for a thank you and disappeared into her washroom. This time, Gabriella couldn't help but blush; yes Troy had shown her friendly affection before, but never so many at one time.

"Sorry, it was sort of a late start," Gabriella apologized. Alex shook his head, forcing a smile as she sat next to him, beginning to fold up Troy's discarded clothes and putting it neatly into the bag,

"No problem, by the way, I invited my little sister too, thought she could meet you," Alex gave her a dazzling smile, but Gabriella only grinned back-not to mention it was an entire light year away from the warm smile she had given Troy when he talked to her about potato salad.

"That's great; I can't wait to meet her,"

"I bet she'll love you, I told her a lot already," Alex grinned, taking her hand into his. Gabriella tried not to instinctively pull her hands away, and only grinned slightly dimmer, "I was thinking, after the party you and I could—"

"Brie where is my cologne?" came a shout from the washroom, the door to the washroom swung opened, and Troy walked out with his jeans on… but only that. Alex not only cursed Troy Bolton's very existence, but he had interrupted a moment with his girlfriend dressed like… _that_! However, Gabriella did not look phased at all, instead, she walked up, shaking her head at him amusedly, and poked her head into the washroom,

"Troy Jonathan it's right here, under your nose," Gabriella said, pulling the silver bottle from the shelf on the side, waving it underneath his nose. Troy shrugged, but smiled, and disappeared again and Gabriella walked back to the couch,

"2 minutes Troy, that's all I'm giving you,"

"Psh like I need 2 minutes to get ready!"

"Sorry, he's like that, can't ever find anything." Gabriella laughed, "Troy you better not make a mess of my washroom or I will have you clean it up!" Troy came out a few moments later, and Gabriella's smiled widened, as Troy buttoned up the second last button of his shirt, and leaving top two unbuttoned.

"I was looking for this shirt! No wonder I couldn't find it," Troy grinned

"Like you could ever find anything in your house,"

"Why'd you have it?" Troy ignored her comment,

"Remember last year, you guys won the game, and you got so drunk you couldn't get home yourself, and there was no way I could get you back to your own house, so the guys dropped you off here?"

"Oh right… I woke up when you were making breakfast right?" he grinned,

"Yea, along with you having a massive hang over and you deserved it," Gabriella said. Alex didn't know what unsettled him more; the fact that Gabriella being in a bar, or Troy staying over night here…alone…with her… drunk. Wait, no, the latter definitely did not sit well with him.

"Well let's go, Shar will have our heads if we're late," Troy said, grabbing Gabriella's potato salad off the counter, and giving Gabriella a pair of black ankle boots while slipping into his own pair of black shoes. Gabriella agreed, and thanked Troy again as he handed her a coat. Alex followed suit, glad to be going. Now that they were leaving and heading to the party, Alex was going to bet things would be better.

Boy was he wrong.

* * *

**A/N: And I will end it off there. This chapter went off way longer than I anticipated, so I had to divide it in half or you won't finish reading until the next day! Sharpay's engagement party is the next chapter. What is Anne planning to do to get Troy's attention? Hmm… and remember that pinkie promise? Did you **_**really**_** think Troy and Gabriella actually forgot? You might see the surfacing of their childhood promise next chapter… I wonder what will happen.**

**The dress I had Gabriella wear was similar to the one Vanessa wore when she performed with the others for Christmas in Disneyland, when they performed 'What time is it?' it's so pretty! So you can imagine that when you think of what Gabriella's wearing.**

**Again, it's quite obvious where I got the name 'Anne' from. Vanessa ****Anne**** Hudgens. Get it? Originally I had 'Alex' and 'Anne' named Zac and Vanessa, ha-ha but I don't think it'll fair too well.**


	13. Counting Down

I am SO sorry for the late update! It's almost been a month since I've updated! I was piled up with school work, so I apologize; hopefully this chapter will make up for it.

**Again, nothing much has been happening to the cast at the moment. They're all busy doing their own things, **_**but**_**, HSM3 will begin shooting REALLY soon, so look out for that!**

**Also, 2 new cast members have been added to the cast of HSM3. The budget currently allows 5 new characters, but so far only two has been chosen. At the moment, it is one boy and one girl, both who are Troy and Sharpay in-training.**

**Apparently, Vanessa's now in New York filming the rest of 'Will'. The movie is scheduled for a winter release in 2009, oh well guess we'll have to wait then. Other than that, she's splitting up her time between filming, and finishing her sophomore album.**

**There is a possible chance of Vanessa going on a summer tour to promote her sophomore album. Nothing's been confirmed by Hollywood Records, but keep an ear out for more news!**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own High School Musical 1 or 2, all characters in the movie belongs to Disney.

* * *

_Chapter 13: Counting down_

* * *

Anne looked into the rear view mirror by her window. Her face-her beautiful face in fact- was looking right back at her, her hazelnut eyes narrowed, and a scowl creasing her delicate face.

"_I'm going to kill him! He ditched me for 10 minutes!"_ Anne grumbled angrily in her mind. She should've been smarter than to have believed Alex, who's ever heard of a mini director like him getting to know the likes of someone like Troy Bolton? _"I'm going to have bags under my eyes tomorrow for the photo shoot, how appealing,"_ Whipping out her cell phone, Anne angrily punched in her brother's phone, and shoved it by her ear, hearing the ring tone. She was quite surprised when she heard the familiar ring answer the ringing in her ear, and turned to the window to see her brother coming out with two strangers. Anne's jaw dropped,

"I'm right here Anne, you're wasting my phone bill," said her brother every so nicely, and before Anne had time to put her mouth back together and shoot back a snappy retort, Alex had hung up on her, and approached the car with his two guests. Anne got out of the car. Alex had two other people with him, a younger woman, and a man's whose face she's seen on TV and magazines a million times,

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" smiled the tiny brunette girl that was sandwiched between the two males. Anne immediately realized this was her brother's girlfriend. Anne had to admit, she was very pretty, even though she was probably older than herself. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that she wasn't even in the industry yet, Anne would've been sure the older woman would definitely make it into the modeling industry. Anne also couldn't help but notice the intricate details of how the three were standing. She was not surprised Alex did not notice; after all, only a women's eyes could spot something like that.

When Alex had said his girlfriend and Troy Bolton were close, Anne had assumed they were good friends, but never did she think they were _this_ close. Sandwiched between the two taller, and broader males, the petite brunette had no trouble, and did not look like she was uncomfortable at all, to lean towards the famous basketball player, and likewise, Troy Bolton did not think twice to put his hand on bottom of her hip, curling around her small waist in a way that wasn't too noticeable, but clearly said 'back off'.

"Alex is always slow, I'm Anne, it's nice to meet you," Anne greeted warmly, extending her hand, the brunette took it, and smiled,

"Gabriella," she grinned, "You probably know who this guy is," and Gabriella jerked a thumb over to the tall man beside him,

"Troy Bolton, LA Lakers, of course," Anne said in a slow and silky voice. She looked up at him, her hazelnut eyes sparkling underneath her dark eyelashes, "It's great to meet you," and she also offered her hand, only this time, she let her hands tilt down slightly, a pose she had learned from magazine that was supposed to be elegant. Maybe Troy didn't read those magazines, or he didn't really care at all, because he offered her a easy smile, and shook her hand like he would any other,

"Nice to meet you too," Troy smiled, "But tonight, I'm not a Lakers or Troy Bolton, I'm this one's best friend," and his blue eyes slid downwards to catch Gabriella's, and his smile changed to one Anne had never really seen on anyone before.

"I hope you don't mind me intruding, but Alex said his friend's sister got engaged, and said I should come," Anne laughed easily, and rolled her eyes, "He said I wasn't social enough,"

"We'd love to have you, trust me, we have enough for everyone," Gabriella grinned,

"Especially potato salad," Troy added, grinning,

"That is if he doesn't finish it first," Gabriella added jokingly. Troy mocked glared at her, and the hand on her hip rose to the back of her neck, and Gabriella jumped slightly, feeling his fingers graze on her skin, tickling her, knowing every one of her weak spots. Anne watched him gently brush her curls behind her shoulders, and she definitely did not miss him brushing across the bottom of her cheeks when he lowered his hand,

"'_Lex you are _so_ out of your league,"_ Anne thought to herself.

"Gabriella makes the best food," Alex agreed, not noticing the same things his sister did. Gabriella smiled her thanks,

"Well we should get going, Sharpay will kill us if we're late," Gabriella said, pulling Troy's arm up, and checking his watch.

"Get your own watch," Troy grumbled lightly. Gabriella ignored him, "Brie you ready?" Troy asked, Alex sent Anne a look, his jaws tight and his head nodding not so subtly towards Troy. Anne narrowed her eyes, before grumbling to herself...a picture with Troy Bolton would definitely look good on her resume…

"Um, sorry, but I don't really know the way," Anne piped up, stopping Gabriella and Troy, "I mean… Alex drove me, but I really don't want to be a third wheel between them, you know," Anne smiled. Gabriella blushed softly, Anne's sudden reminder that she was dating Alex, and that they were a couple had caught her off guard…slightly.

"Well Gabriella knows the way, and I'm sure Troy does too, Anne why don't you go with Troy, so we won't get lost—oh of course if that's alright with him," Alex gave Troy a toothy smile, and Troy had to resist introducing Alex's smile to his fist. As if reading his mind, Gabriella gave him a warning glare, and placed a small hand on his fisted hand, squeezing it as if warning him 'don't you dare',

"_Whoops, strike 1,"_ Troy thought to himself, "No I wouldn't mind, um my car's that way," Troy nodded over to a parking spot near by. Anne nodded, opening Alex's car door again to grab her coat and bag, and Alex-looking much happier now-walking to the driver's side.

"You guys will follow me, alright?" Troy said softly to Gabriella, Gabriella nodded,

"I know, I know my way if we get lost," she grinned,

"Yea let's just hope you don't get 'lost'" Troy grumbled softly so that Gabriella wouldn't hear what he said, "Yea I know, be careful, k Brie?"

"I will, Troy I'm not the one driving," she teased, and Troy relaxed slightly,

"K I'm ready-oh sorry did I interrupt?" Anne paused, seeing the two best friends having a private conversation; Gabriella looked over, smiled and shook her head,

"No, just you know, warning him not to act like an idiot, he does that around pretty girls," Gabriella laughed,

"No only with you," Troy said ever so softly, whether or not Gabriella caught it, no one knew, but Gabriella did stop laughing slightly, and had the smallest smile on her face. Anne stood in silence as she observed the two friends, "I'll see you later, and I'll take that,"

"Leave the rest of your clothes here tonight, I'll drop them off tomorrow before work," Gabriella said, Troy nodded while securing the bowl of potato salad in his arm, "And don't you dare sneak a taste, Anne, make sure he doesn't eat half of it on the way, no matter what his excuse is," Gabriella added to the other girl. Anne giggled and nodded; only to laugh even more at Troy's hurt face,

"No faith? I'm hurt," Troy sighed, "Let's get going," Troy dropped a small kiss on the top of Gabriella's head, and pulled away, "Wait," Troy shrugged his black blazer off, and took Gabriella's long black pea jacket out of her arms, "Wear this, that coat's never been warm enough," Gabriella stood still while Troy wrapped his jacket around her. Troy must've been right, because his jacket was warmer than any of the coats Gabriella owned.

5 minutes later, Troy's Audi and Alex's Chrysler pulled out.

* * *

After a full 3 minutes of sitting in silence, Anne wondered if she should initiate a conversation, certainly Troy did not look like he was about to start anything sort of talking with her, and Anne caught his blue eyes flickering to his rear-view mirror more than it was necessary, whenever he thought she wasn't looking

"So, how long have you known my brother?" Anne said, breaking the silence, Troy's eyes turned away from the mirror, took a quick glance at her before setting themselves onto the road again,

"Not long… he's more of a co-worker with a friend of me and Gabby." Troy said,

"Gabby?"

"Gabriella," Troy chuckled, feeling most relaxed talking about her, "We came up with names for one another, more for her than me actually…I call her Gabby, or Brie most of the time, our friends usually calls her Gabs or Gem,"

"Gem? That's so sweet," Anne smiled, "Alex never considered me any type of jewel, and we're related!"

"Actually it's an acronym for her full name, its Gabriella Erin Maria," Troy grinned, again, his blue eyes flickered to the mirror, reflecting the fuzzy outline of the two in the car behind him,

"How long have you known Gabriella?" Anne said curiously, based on her experience of past relationships, anyone who were friends for under 4 years would be no consequence, and if that was it, then Alex _might_ have a chance, when Troy's face broke into a wide smile, Anne some how realized that Alex would have as much chance as her dating Orlando Bloom.

"We've known each other for 19 years, since kindergarten," Troy grinned, Anne almost chocked, ok that wasn't the number she thought of,

"_19_ years? Doesn't it get boring knowing someone for _that_ long? I've known Alex for 20 years and I was annoyed by him for all 15 years of it," Anne said incredulously, Troy stopped at a stop light, and looked over at her, laughing, his blue eyes twinkling. For a second, Anne had a moment to appreciate how easy on the eyes Troy Bolton was…but then again, Anne was also so much smarter than her brother,

"_Alex you are _so_ over your head!"_

Alex and Gabriella pulled to a slow stop behind Troy's Audi. So far, the ride had been silent, neither spoke. Gabriella's brown eyes were focused on the window in front of the passenger seat. She could see Troy's shadow and Anne's shadow. The two of them seemed to be getting on really nicely. When the two shadows in the car in front of them seemed to look like they were leaning closer, Gabriella felt an unexpected feeling brewing and rising from her guts,

"_I should've just given him directions,"_ Gabriella subconsciously thought, "Alex," Alex turned around, placing on his best smile, "Haven't you been to Sharpay's before?"

"Only a few times, I dropped by Ryan's and sometimes we'd go to her place," Alex grinned, his eyes caught her idle hand laying on the compartment that separated the passenger seat from the driver's seat, and his hands inched to take hers,

"Shouldn't you know the way then?" Gabriella said, completely oblivious to Alex's thoughts,

"Yea,"

"Why do you need to follow Troy?" Gabriella turned and looked at him, and her brown eyes met Alex's green ones.

"Well is it so wrong to want to spend some time with my girlfriend?" Alex smiled, his hands covering Gabriella's smalls ones. Gabriella resisted the urge to flinch, he was right… she was his girlfriend…just like Alex was her boyfriend. Alex's hands were almost the same size as Troy's, yet it lacked the warmth that she would get when Troy would gently lay his hand over hers in pure instinct, or when he took her hand into his just for the fun of it.

"You look great by the way," Alex added, Gabriella smiled,

"Thank you," she said simply, the car lurched into movement once again, and Alex did not relinquish her hand, but interlaced their fingers together as he continued to drive with one hand, Gabriella wanted nothing more than to shrink her hand back into the long sleeves of Troy's jacket. She took a deep breath, and smiled slightly, Troy had once again over dosed his cologne, and it was all over his jacket, which was now, with now doubt all over her. The couple drove the rest of the way in silence.

In the large living room of Sharpay's house, the party was in full swing. Music was on, and the long table that contained food continued to be filled. Sharpay had invited people she had worked with in Broadway, and Zeke had invited some of his friends at his restaurants, and among the guests was, of course, the gang. Taylor, Chad, Kelsi, Jason and Ryan had all arrived, and everyone was here…except Troy and Gabriella.

"If Zeke's acting like that in a party, he won't stand living with you for a day," Ryan appeared beside Sharpay, grinning down at his own twin. Even though she was older-by 3 and a half minutes, she never let him for get that- at the age of 25, Ryan Evans was nearly a whole head taller that his sister. Sharpay looked over to her fiancé, who was surrounded by distant family members, and looking slightly hapless, probably not knowing how to answer the hundreds of questions hurled at him,

"It's ok; I don't ask questions," Sharpay giggled, Sharpay hugged her brother, and he returned it, "Thanks for coming Ry,"

"Are you serious? You're getting married, I'd swim over oceans to be here," Ryan said seriously, he pulled away and looked down, "I love you Shar, and even though you're loud, and will always be a drama queen, you're still my sister," Sharpay was willing to let go of the drama queen name this time, only because her throat was too tight to reply, her brown eyes swimming with tears. It was only from the ringing of the door bell and seeing the black Audi now parked in her long drive way, did Sharpay sniff, cleaned up her face (thank goodness she wore water proof mascara!), and went to tend to the door, while shouting,

"Guys, Gabby and Troy are here!" she didn't bother looking back, but she heard the few stampeding feet of the gang following her to the door. Sharpay swung the door opened,

"Gabby!" Sharpay laughed, and took the tiny girl who was almost buried underneath the large blazer. Gabriella laughed, hugging her back, "You're late!" Sharpay-still hugging Gabriella-glared at Troy, who walked in wearing an ensemble that was quite evidently put together by Gabriella, and holding a bowl of food-again made by Gabriella,

"Just be glad I'm here," Troy joked, "Don't you dare tackle me, if you break this bowl of salad I swear to god I will make Zeke change his mind,"

"Troy Jonathan Bolton!" came Gabriella scolding, from behind Sharpay, Chad, Jason, Ryan and Zeke was heard bursting into laughter,

"Oh it's the full name," Chad smirked,

"He's in trouble now," Zeke chuckled,

"If we had known the full name would work that well, we would've invited Gabby to every single basketball practice in high school," Jason laughed

"Alright, I get it," Troy grumbled, as the two of them plus their guests walked in,

"Hey Alex, made it alright?" Ryan smiled at his friend, Alex smiled back, it was a good thing he knew Ryan, that meant he had some sort of connection to the gang-albeit vague and barely existent-but at least he would have something in common with Gabriella,

"This is Anne, she's Alex's sister," Troy took the initiative to introduce the younger girl, "Anne, the gang, Zeke-he's marrying Sharpay who's still hugging my best girl friend, Shar let Brie breath!- that's Chad, Taylor-his girlfriend, don't know why though-Jason, Kelsi and of course you know Ryan," Troy smiled,

"Hello," Anne smiled politely, this was such a big group of friends, they were more like… a family. When Sharpay finally let go of Gabriella, the brunette giggled taking off Troy's jacket, revealing her glittery ensemble. Even though Troy had already seen it, the air in his lungs still disappeared, leaving him breathless, and his eyes trailing every single part of her body again.

"_Excellent!"_ Sharpay's mind cheered, taking one look at Anne's direction, Sharpay realized she was not the only one to notice Troy's reaction. Alex, on the other hand, not so gentlemanly-not to mention not too subtly-had his eyes widened, and his jaws dropped. Gabriella noticed none of her boyfriend's reaction, though when she did take the coat off again, she had gauged Troy's reaction, and found it the same to his first reaction and she returned his coat with a satisfied feeling,

"Too much cologne," Gabriella said, and Troy smiled,

"I knew it," Troy went to reach for his coat, and caught the scent that lingered in Gabriella's hair and body.

"No wonder you smell like Troy," Sharpay smirked. Gabriella blushed but smiled softly, and Troy returned the smile, he smelled his cologne mingled with Gabriella's unique smell of strawberries. Troy stayed in his position, being close to Gabriella, much longer than he should have.

"Well, let's go in, we're all in the corridor," Alex coughed, drawing Gabriella and Troy out of their closeness, he went to take Gabriella's hand, who allowed him, and also caught a whiff of Troy's cologne, and Alex frowned. As the gang made their way to the party, Sharpay pulled Anne aside.

"Wha—" to say Anne was startled to be suddenly pulled away from her brother was an understatement, what would Sharpay Evans want to do with her?

"Do you like Troy?" Sharpay asked bluntly, her brown eyes sharp. Anne had to hide a smile, she had heard a lot about the infamous Sharpay Evans, she was smart, cunning, sly, and forward, the blonde never hesitated to speak her mind, and never faltered to make her notions clear,

"What's not to like?" Anne replied in her own witty way, Sharpay's eyes narrowed, and for a moment nothing passed on between them. Anne had the feeling that she was being analyzed and scrutinized in the most detailed way possible, under eyes that were very well trained, "But if you're asking me if I like him the same way he likes Gabriella, and vice-versa, then no, I don't like him."

"You see it too?" Sharpay's voice instantly changed, it wasn't demanding or blunt anymore, but with a spark of her well known slyness, her brown eyes perked up as if she had spotted an eligible accomplice (_"Which could be true"_ Anne thought to herself).

"You've got to be blind or stupid not to see it, in which case my brother is definitely the latter," Anne smirked, "Actually, Alex had me come over here to try to distract Troy so he could actually stand a chance," she admitted, Anne observed Gabriella with Sharpay. Currently, the brunette was surrounded by the rest of the guys, Chad, Zeke, Jason and Ryan all stood around her, and simultaneously dropped a quick kiss to her cheek. Gabriella smiled, her cheeks flushed but her eyes sparkling as she received hugs from all the important guys in her life. Troy stood near her, leaning on the wall, his arms crossed, his blue eyes concentrated on his brunette Gem, his face relaxed and smiling, he seemed to be beaming with pride. Alex, on the other hand, had a deep scowl on his face; he obviously did not like the attention the guys were paying to his girlfriend,

"Don't you get jealous…? I mean that's your fiancé over there," Anne said, Sharpay laughed,

"Chad is also Taylor's boyfriend, but we never get jealous, not when it concerns Gabriella," Sharpay smiled, "Gabriella's the youngest in our group, but she's also the glue that keeps us together, in a way you can say she's the 'mother' of our crazy group. She keeps us in tact,"

"She also keeps making the air in Troy's lungs disappear and make him look like he just got hit by a bus," Anne added, laughing, "From the first time I've met them, I knew Alex stood no chance,"

"Actually, I was hoping Alex _could_ stand a chance," Sharpay said thoughtfully, drawing a shocked look from Anne, "Don't get me wrong, I knew Gabby and Troy belong together-trust me I've had my experiences. But those two are way to blind,"

"You've been planning this quite some time haven't you?" Anne observed the cunning blonde, "I knew it! It's exactly like when I planned to get rid of one of Alex's past girlfriend!" Sharpay laughed out loud,

"You did what?"

"What? She was terrible! Compared to her, Gabriella's an angel sent from heaven," Anne said, "I can't help my brother in this, I can be the prettiest girl in this entire world, and I'll still be nothing compared to Gabriella,"

"Actually," Sharpay smirked, her eyes travelling over to Anne, "Maybe you can help…" Oh, Sharpay Evans was not called the Queen of Plans for nothing…

* * *

"Gabby you're killing me!"

The entire party burst out laughing as the famous Troy Bolton whined under the threatening glare of his best friend. Gabriella allowed a flight of an amused smile appear on her face, before replacing it with a well practiced frown,

"Troy, I'm just telling you to wait until everyone's got their first serving before going up,"

"There's going to be nothing left!"

"Stop being silly, I made an entire bowl,"

"Brie, if I know your cooking, and trust me I do, it'll be all gone before I can even stand up!"

"Troy,"

"Gaaaabbbyyyy…"

"Troy Jonathan—"

"Aw c'mon babe," Troy looked down at her, his blue eyes sparkling under the light, his lips slightly parted in a tempting little smile, Gabriella looked up in reply, crossing her arms across her chest, fighting her growing desire to just let him stampede over to the food table, to Gabriella, her best friend Troy Bolton looked nothing more than absolutely god-like.

"Don't babe me," Gabriella retorted sternly, though she noted the slight crack in her voice, she cleared her throat, "You will let everyone have some first,"

"Bad luck buddy," they heard Chad chuckle from the table, lifting a spoonful laden with potato salad, Troy's eyes shot from Gabriella to his best guy friend, his eyes pleading, and mouthed the words _get me some_, Gabriella immediately turned around,

"Chad Brandon Danfourth don't you dare," Gabriella warned in a quiet but demanding voice, Kelsi giggled,

"It's amazing how she remembers all our full names," the musician laughed, standing beside Alex. Alex only offered a tight smile, when he thought things might get better once they arrived at Sharpay; he was completely and totally wrong. Alex was now witnessing, first handed, just how close Gabriella really was with the gang, and how even more close she was to Troy. He was stupid in thinking just because he knew Ryan; he would be in for sure. Even Anne seemed to have realized, and did nothing to try to separate Troy and Gabriella,

"Anne, do something!" Alex hissed at his sister, Anne glared at him,

"I haven't eaten yet!"

"Neither have I, but you need to get Troy Bolton out of here!"

"Alex!"

"Anne now!" Alex demanded, glaring, Anne glared back, marching indignantly to the basketball player, out of the corner of her eyes though, she saw Sharpay wink back at her. Anne arrived in front of Gabriella and Troy just in time to hear Chad shout back,

"Sorry man, you're scary, but Gabby's worse," Chad had time to chuckle, get another scoop of salad before Troy could charge up to him or Gabriella had enough time to aim her 'evil' glare at Chad.

"I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to get some food." Anne interrupted, looking straight at Troy, "I don't really know anyone here… and Alex's probably waiting for Gabriella," Anne smiled innocently. For a while Gabriella was shocked slightly into silence. The only thought she had in her mind was _"Interrupt! Say no! Drag Troy away, don't let him go!"_ but then, if she had followed those words…then she would have to come up with a logical reason for doing so…and so far, the only logical reason she could think of did not sit well with her… at all. She chanced a glance at Troy's direction, and didn't know what to make of the fall in her stomach when she saw how eager he was to go with Anne,

"Go then, I can't stop Anne from getting food," Gabriella forced a smile, "You're lucky tonight Troy that Anne decided to save you," Troy's face split into a happy boyish grin, but he noticed the smile on Gabriella's face. The rare smile that did not reach her eyes, he fell into concern,

"Are you alright?" he asked softly, his hands grazing the tips of her fingers, Gabriella shivered from the tingling sensation, and Troy immediately thought she was getting cold, "I should've made you wear something else," he said, rubbing her bare arms with his own hands in an attempt to keep her warm. The only thing that it did was cause more shivers to go down Gabriella's spine, and Gabriella knew it had nothing to do with the cold.

"I'm fine, don't worry, come on don't keep Anne waiting," Gabriella said again, Troy's hands dropped from her arms, and this time she really did shiver from the absence of his warmth, Troy gave her one more questioning look-to which she replied with her own assurance one (at least, she hoped it was assuring). She stood by the corner as Troy left with Anne, immediately engaging in a conversation with the younger girl. And Gabriella was left by herself for 1 full second before Alex appeared by her side.

"Want to get something," Alex offered, smiling, Gabriella shrugged, her eyes still slightly trained on Troy, she didn't even feel-nor object-when Alex slipped his hand into hers, and guided her to the food table. Too occupied with the image of Anne and Troy together, Gabriella hardly paid any attention to what she was picking, nor did she see how Troy was looking at her interlaced fingers with Alex.

After getting their food, Troy and Anne found an empty spot, and sat down. Eating her salad quietly, Anne observed Troy out of the corner of her eyes. Troy had no eyes for _anyone_ but Gabriella. A tornado could destroy the entire house, and Troy would probably have no idea what had happened unless it had swept Gabriella away.

"So…how are you tonight?" Anne asked in an attempt to start a conversation. No answer. "Thanks for keeping me company," she tried again. No answer. Getting amused, Anne smirked, years of teasing her brother coming back,

"So did you know Alex proposed to Gabriella, and she accepted and now they're going to elope and live on a deserted island forever?"

"WHAT!" Troy snapped out of his reverie, as well as silenced the entire room with his loud exclamation. Gabriella gave Troy a concerned look, and the rest of the gang smirked, Troy blushed, hearing Anne's amused giggle, "Sorry…I was… excited… good salad Gabby," Troy smiled weakly, Gabriella giggled softly as the party returned to their own business, Troy rounded on Anne, "What the hell was that?"

"You looked like you were completely out of here, I had to get you back some how," Anne said, keeping her face as straight as possible, her mouth twitching with laughter, "It worked, see?"

"That was not funny, at all," Troy said seriously, his heart was still pounding at the sudden shock, and his mind still had a clear image of Gabriella on a sandy beach, and clear blue ocean wearing a bikini top and a flowing bottom skirt, the wind blowing at her brunette curls, her perfect brown eyes sparkling under the sun, and her lips in a wide smile and—_"Whoa too far, Bolton, too far"_ his mind screeched to a stop.

"You love her don't you?"

"Of course I do! She's my best friend,"

"Don't act stupid, you know exactly what I'm talking about," Anne rolled her eyes, "The only reason I came tonight was because Alex wanted me to keep you away from Gabriella so you could have a chance, and I have a audition photo shoot, and he said a picture with you would definitely secure me a spot," Anne could catch the transition from his look of embarrassment to a look of annoyance and irritation,

"Well you better get a picture now and get the whole thing over with shouldn't you?" Troy said in a cool voice, raising an eyebrow, Anne rolled her eyes,

"One, don't even think about using the guilt thing, trust me, living with Alex, I've built some sort of immunity around it, and two, I may be Alex's sister, but I'm a lot smarter than he is. Doesn't the fact that he wanted _me_ to keep _you_ away from Gabriella mean anything?

"That's he's a manipulative jerk?"

"Maybe he's a jerk who's afraid you would want to steal his girlfriend,"

"And why would I do that?"

"For god sakes wake up will you!" and Anne smacked him on the back of his head, Troy grumbled a complain, "He won't go to such an extreme measure and ask _me_ for help if he didn't think you were a potential threat, and believe me, I've seen you, both Sharpay and I, and we both agree Alex is way out of his league,"

"You and Sharpay?" Troy placed his blonde friend with Anne's obviously cunning and sharp mind, and the outcome did not look good,

"Oh yes, did I mention I have an audition for Broadway tomorrow?" Anne said brightly, "I'm playing Sharpay's character's sister!"

"Aren't they getting along well?" Alex remarked brightly from the other side of the room, cheering his sister on. Apparently, Anne and Troy were getting along just fine; the both of them were smiling quite happily with one another. Gabriella's brown eyes narrowed an action that was rarely done by her. She realized that Alex was right, Anne fitted perfectly with Troy, from the way she saw it from her end, and Anne made Troy completely relaxed. And why shouldn't he be relaxed? Anne Ricci was completely gorgeous, right down to her model like figure, and uncommonly light hazelnut eyes, down to the even, smooth silky strands of her charcoal hair.

"They are…" Gabriella said in a quiet voice. She should be happy for Troy; after all, he deserved someone as much as the next person did! And Gabriella had met Anne, and was happy with her character. So… why was she thinking it was supposed to be _her_ beside Troy, and not because he was her best friend?

* * *

The night went on in Sharpay's house. After the food was finished, and everyone had helped cleaned up, Sharpay and Zeke were presented with gifts from their friends, some ranging from useful to thoughtful to just plain embarrassing. While some gifts made Sharpay smirk, others were… well… 'Thoughtful' enough to send both the drama queen the talented cook blushing so red, they could match the clouds of the setting sun outside the window. When it was time for Gabriella and Troy to present their presents, the best friends shared a smile, then handed the newly engaged couple a box.

"It's a book isn't it?" Zeke smirked knowingly at the former bookworm. Gabriella mocked glared at him,

"That's so like our Gabby," Jason chuckled,

"Aw, Gabs it's my engagement party, you're giving me a _book_?" Sharpay whined, Gabriella giggled,

"Just open it Shar," Troy rolled his eyes, "It's from me and Brie,"

"And since Troy's in on it you can bet it's not the type of book you're thinking about," Gabriella added,

"Good point," Sharpay laughed, taking the box with thanks. Despite Troy's attempt at looking moody, he was also eager to see how they might react to their gift. He and Gabriella had spent a lot of time wondering what to get them, although this was supposed to be the gang's 11th anniversary gift, it was still suitable as for an engagement part gift,

"This was supposed to be for our 11th anniversary," Gabriella giggled, "But, well, since everyone's here, we might as we open it now," the mentioned gang-Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Ryan, and Jason gathered around Troy, Gabriella, Zeke and Sharpay as the blonde eagerly opened the box. Off went the lid, and a beautiful leather bound book appeared, slowly, Sharpay delicately lifted it out, and on the cover, was a picture taken at their prom, everyone dressed in their best clothes, and then the group picture taken a few years back, during the rare occasion that everyone was there, under the pictures, were the words written in gold:

"_Friends from the beginning…friends 'till the end'_

"Gabby…oh my gosh," Taylor gasp. Not wanting to leave the rest of the party out, Sharpay took the picture book to the drawing room where everyone sat around Sharpay, who sat in the middle, carefully flipping through each page. The first page held a collection of baby pictures that consisted all 9 of them,

"How did you-this must've taken forever!" Kelsi gasped, Gabriella smiled sheepishly,

"I called up your parents-don't worry I did most of the talking, Troy did most of the number searching," Gabriella giggled. They continued through the book, most of them pictures from high school. The group had a good laugh when they reached pictures from their Winter Musical, _Twinkle Towne_, and then the performance for the Star Dazzle Award.

"Oh Gabby this is perfect!" Sharpay cried, she hugged the brunette tightly, "Aw all of you looked so cute when you guys were little!"

"Especially that one picture of Troy and Gabriella in Gabby's room, their little pinkie promise," Taylor smirked, Gabriella blushed,

"I was wondering how that picture got there," Gabriella glared at Troy,

"What? You said to find numbers, I found your moms," Troy smirked,

"What was the promise about anyway?" Jason asked, suddenly, it seemed as though Troy and Gabriella had been dyed red, for their faces were plunged into deep crimson, stuttering.

"We were little," Troy said, hoping to drive the attention somewhere else,

"Exactly," Gabriella said quickly. But somewhere inside the two of them, they felt a pang of hurt; did the other really feel that way about the promise? Call Gabriella naive and called Troy stupid, but the both of them had kept their promises quite seriously…especially the one made when they were 10…a promise that would change the entire perspective of their relationship.

"What was the promise about?" Chad asked, Troy and Gabriella blushed even deeper, the two of them meeting each other's eyes. All of a sudden, the fact that they were best friends flew out of their minds, both of them feeling like love struck adults.

"We promised each other to" Troy mumbled something, "When we're 25,"

"What, we didn't catch that," Zeke said, Gabriella blushed even deeper,

"We promised each other we'd…um…we'd marry one another if we don't get married by the time we're 25," Gabriella blurted quickly. There was a unison draw of breath around the room, and a crash of glass that came from Alex's direction. Gabriella looked up and met Alex's angry look,

"Well Troy considering it's the beginning of April, and your birthday's in July, I think you have 3 and half months to search and fall in love and get married, or Gabby's yours," Ryan smirked. Gabriella blushed even deeper, and when she wasn't looking, Troy set his gaze solely on her.

"_All mine…I like the sound of that…"_

* * *

**A/N: Not quite the way I planned for the promise to be brought up, but I'll be adding more details to that later. Wow, who knew Anne was going to be the nice person here? Review!**


	14. Things are changing

Hey guys

Hey guys! Sorry for not updating for like, a month! School's swamped me with homework. Good news is I've finished one of my other stories, so now I will be able to mainly focus on completing this one.

**I hope everyone's heard Vanessa's new single off her upcoming album! The single was released on Disney Radio, named 'Sneakernight', and it sounds SO hot!! It's an awesome song to dance to, and definitely a completely new sound coming from Vanessa. If you haven't heard of it yet, I've made a music video accompanying it, and the URL is on my profile. **

**Vanessa's upcoming album will be entitled 'Identified' (which is also a song on the album). The release date for her album is June 24 so make sure you mark that on your calendar!! There is also a **_**gorgeous**_** promotional picture for her album. She looks beautiful, the picture URL is also on my profile.**

**The HSM3 cast is currently in a secret location rehearsing for the upcoming movie. They are in Salt Lake, Utah, rehearsing and filming for HSM3: Senior Year, which will be out for a theatrical release late October this year.**

**Disney has stated that they **_**are**_** writing the script at the moment for a HSM4. However, chances are the original casts will not be in it, and it will be made for a TV movie as opposed to theatres. Writers have expressed that they know it will be harder to get the original casts to return for HSM4 but they are hoping for **_**some**_**. Zac and Vanessa have already released a statement saying chances are they will not be in the fourth instalment. However, as we all know, there had been casting for new characters as the younger versions of the characters, so perhaps they will be in HSM 4 instead. **

**A rumoured track listing for HSM 3 is now on my profile. Again this is RUMOURED so nothing's for sure, but it's sounding awesome! It has also been reported that for those of us worried about Troyella in HSM3, don't worry, there's going to be a VERY cute duet for the couple, as well as a touching finale as the Wildcats head to college.**

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 14: Things are changing_

* * *

The night did not go as Alex had planned. Not at all, and Alex Ricci was not one to have things not go his way! He was sitting calmly on a chair in the living room, as everyone had crowded around Gabriella and Troy's present for Sharpay and Zeke. Alex could tell it was a book (the amount of times he had seen a book as a prop in his plays), and couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Gabriella loved her books, he would have to try and convince her give other things as gifts… after all they were just books!

Troy, on the other hand, as Alex had observed, had absolutely no problem with Gabriella's book obsession. He even _smiled_ when Gabriella admitted they were giving them a book for their wedding party! Clearly, Troy Bolton didn't have the same taste Alex had (he had given the couple a beautiful vase for flowers they were bound to get, much more useful than a _book_). By the time Gabriella had begun to go into detail about the book, Alex has zoned out, there was really nothing there to catch his attention anyway… that is, that was what he thought until he heard something that was like a hook that pulled his attention towards the group.

"We promised each other we'd…um…we'd marry one another if we don't get married by the time we're 25."

The glass of champagne in Alex's hands dropped for his slacked grip, and crashed onto the floor, turning the once one piece glass into a thousand of glittering sharp edges on the hardwood floor. Everyone's attention turned to him, including Troy and Gabriella, who still looked as red as an apple—and Troy _still_ had his arms around Gabriella's shoulder!! Alex felt anger bubbling from his stomach,

"Alex, are you alright?" Gabriella asked in concern. Deep down, she was so grateful something had happened, she didn't know if she could stand another minute being scrutinized by so many people. She secretly snuck a glance at Troy, who looked similarly relieved for the disruption, but seemed to look like he was feeling something else at the same time.

"Yea, sorry, I'll clean this up," Alex said in an abrupt voice, his tone cold and hard and his face red with anger. The rest of the crowd dispersed, offering their own assistance, only the gang was left in the middle surrounding the book-Sharpay and Taylor- and Anne surprisingly- with very curious (_"And devious," _Gabriella concluded silently). All of them seemed to be stuck on the picture of the 10 years old Troy and Gabriella making their pinkie promise. When Gabriella looked at Troy (when he wasn't looking at her of course—which he did quite often), both of them realized, that they hadn't taken their eyes off their own pictures either, and caused them to wonder what the other was thinking.

"Maybe… I should help out," Troy coughed, breaking their silence, Gabriella nodded a bit too enthusiastic than she had meant to,

"I'll help!" she said, shooting up abruptly. The two best friends went their separate ways, aware that the fast beating of their hearts had nothing to do with the glass shattering minutes before. Gabriella walked as fast as her legs could take her, what was she supposed to be looking for again? Oh right, a broom…

"We were ten… I barely remember anything from when I was 12! He can't possibly have remembered it…" Gabriella muttered to herself, but no, Troy had mumbled something before she had confessed to their promise. He had mumbled something about their promise…he remembered…just like she had. While she was lost in her thoughts, Gabriella failed to realize she had just gone in circles, and ended up back in the living room from where she came.

"Gabby? Weren't you going to get the broom?" Sharpay asked,

"Yea, sorry I got distracted… I don't really know where it is," Gabriella admitted sheepishly, Sharpay nodded slowly, sensing something wrong with her friend, but decided to leave it…for now,

"Zeke, can you get the broom?" Sharpay asked, her fiancé nodded, and walked off in the direction Gabriella had come in, "I'll just pick up the bigger pieces then,"

"Don't you dare, it's your engagement party, I'll do it," Gabriella said semi sternly, she needed something to keep herself occupied. Tuning out Sharpay's protest, she bent down, picking up the pieces carefully on its side, the sharp edges escaping her finger tips, while her mind began to wonder again. What if Troy did remember the promise? What did he feel about it? After all, they were 10 when they made it, and they barely knew what marriage was. For all Gabriella could tell, Troy could've dismissed it as something that belonged in their childhood memories and to never be brought up again,

"_You have 3 months to fall in love or Gabby's all yours,"_ Ryan had said that, and Gabriella could remember feeling her cheeks burning, but why oh why didn't she look at Troy's direction to see how he reacted! She knew exactly how she reacted, her heart pounded in her rib cage, and the forbidden idea of the _possibility_ of them becoming a couple she had made herself dismiss years ago resurfaced again, _"We've gone down that road, you know it won't work,"_ Gabriella's mind resigned.

Troy didn't know where he was headed to when he had split up with Gabriella. He had picked the direction closest to him, his right, and found himself in the kitchen, the door leading from the kitchen to the living room was ajar, and he could hear the people outside, their voices muffled slightly, their words falling on deaf ears. Troy had always prided himself at being fairly calm during most situations. During play offs or even championships, Troy managed to keep his calm, actually, he was able to keep his calm on almost anything…but Gabriella Montez.

There was something about his brunette best friend that always caused him to lose his cool. If Gabriella had fallen off a bridge, Troy knew he would-without a second thought or hesitation-jump down right after her, even if she was the better swimmer.

"You're deep in thought," Troy snapped out of his own thoughts, seeing Ryan, Jason and Chad in the kitchen—he had missed them on his blind marching towards the kitchen,

"Oh, why aren't you guys outside?"

"Trying to avoid the chaos outside," Jason chuckled,

"Don't want to get caught up in the girls trying to clean up the mess," Chad said,

"A bit lazy, aren't we?" Troy smirked; the other three guys just shrugged but shared a boyish grin,

"And what are you doing here? Are you sure it's ok leaving Gabby outside to the wolves?" Chad smirked,

"The girls are out there,"

"He means Alex," Ryan said, Troy's smile dropped slightly, but continued to listen none the less,

"You love her don't you," Jason said with uncharacteristic seriousness,

"Why does everyone keep saying that," Troy said warily,

"Because we're not blind," Chad said, "And even if we were blind, we're not deaf, we can see and hear the way you are around Gabby,"

"Like I am around a sister," Troy retorted,

"No," Ryan interrupted him, "No, the way you are around Kelsi, Sharpay and Taylor, that's like being around a sister, but when you're around Gabby, you pour your heart and everything you have into everything about her. It doesn't matter if she asked for just a hug or asked for a mansion on the moon, you put everything you have into it,"

"Not to mention Gabriella's been a part of most of your life," Jason added,

"And the fact that you get into a jealous fit whenever Gabby gets a boyfriend," Chad said,

"I do not!" Troy protested much like a young child, "It's called being protective, you have the same problem too Chad,"

"Not to the point where I'd beat my own team mate to the hospital," Chad reminded Troy. Troy remained silent ,because he realized that what ever he was going to say next would not only dig the hole he was in even deeper than it already was, but bring up a personal dilemma that Troy had tried to bury many years ago,

"Remember when we tricked you to learn the 'Everyday' song, and I told you Sharpay told me to change it?" Ryan asked, a smile flying through his face, Troy rolled his eyes,

"Of course, I was going to run off the stage and kill you when I found out,"

"Or remember the year before that, when Gabby wasn't in any of your classes, and you weren't concentrating on basketball, and she wasn't concentrating on her studies, and Tay and I thought you two were just too close for your own good, so we split you guys up?" Chad said, "We said that you guys needed to focus on school, but really we were just jealous our best friends were so close to someone else,"

"Yea I remember that too," Troy said in a quieter voice as the memory was brought up again, he had no idea the webcam transmitted to a laptop Gabriella was looking at,

"But in the end we all came back together," Jason said, "I think what they're trying to say is, no matter what we did, or do, in the end we're all there for each other, that's what team mates are."

"And as team mates, and your best friends, we're telling you to quit being so blind, and just admit to yourself that you like Gabby more than you say you are," Ryan said matter-of-factly, Troy mumbled something under his breath, but did not meet his friend's eyes, just as Troy looked as though he was going to say something, the boys heard the gasp outside in the living room, and Sharpay's voice gasping

"Gabby!"

That alone was incentive enough to send Troy running out of the kitchen and into the masses of people, back in the kitchen, Chad, Ryan and Jason smirked,

"Bet you 10 dollars he'll admit he loves her by the end of their promise," Chad spoke with a smirk,

"You're on," Jason agreed, the two boys looked expectantly at the Evans twin, Ryan looked calm,

"Gambling's a bad habit," said the older Evans, then Chad and Jason saw a smirk, "20 bucks saying he'll pretend to be noble and let Alex and Gabby stay together while planning Alex's secret murder," Ryan said, the other two laughed, and sealed the deal with a hand shake.

**(A/N: Just a side note, all this is happening within a couple of minutes even though it seems like a long time)**

So lost in thought, Gabriella failed to realize she had picked up a sharp edged piece of glass, and when she did realize, it was too late as she felt the sharp stinging on her finger as she dropped the glass, and a thin line of blood appeared on her index,

"Ouch!" she gasped, Sharpay and Anne, being the nearest to her, heard her exclamation of pain, and immediately turned to her,

"Gabby!" Sharpay gasped loudly, turning the room's attention towards them, "Oh my god, someone get a band-aid!" Anne went running to what kitchen,

"Shar, relax I'm fine," Gabriella said calmly, after all she did work in a hospital. Holding her slightly stinging right hand in her left, Gabriella stood up, watching a tiny pool of deep red blood slide down her finger, "I just need to wash this—"

"Brie!" Gabriella's head snapped up hearing the familiar voice coming from the crowd. Troy pushed through the masses of people, squeezing out of several guests and nearly running over guests before coming up to Gabriella, "Gabby what happened?" Troy looked at her with concern in his ocean blue eyes, his hands automatically cupping her right hand in his, scrutinizing her maimed index finger,

"I'm fine, it's just a cut," Gabriella repeated, only in a softer tone, "I cut myself on a piece of glass, my fault really, I wasn't paying attention,"

"You shouldn't be picking up glass at all period." Troy said sternly, frowning as the tiny line of blood slide down her open palm. Troy felt a tug of pain in his heart, as if he had suffered the cut Gabriella had. Gabriella couldn't say anything at Troy, half because her finger was still bleeding, and half because she knew he was worried, and because she couldn't bring herself to breathe properly when his blue eyes bored deeply into hers, and his warm hands had her hand cupped so securely,

"Sorry," she finally said quietly like a little girl, Troy frowned slightly, but didn't say anything,

"Who's getting the band-aid?"

"Anne… but I think she might've gotten lost in Sharpay's house," Gabriella giggled softly, and was happy to see the expected soft smile on Troy's face. What she _didn't_ expect was having Troy lift her bleeding finger to his mouth, and his lips gently surrounding the tip of her index. Gabriella shivered slightly.

Alex was feeling gloomy and depressed as he glared at outside through his window. He was surprised-and chocked out of his own self pity-when Anne came running into the room frantically, ignoring her brother, and looking for something,

"Anne what are you doing?"

"Trying to find band-aids,"

"Why?"

"Gabriella cut herself picking up the glass _you_ shattered," Anne retorted hotly, she left her brother standing there as she dashed into another door, having no idea where it led. Alex left his corner, striding into the family room. He safely assumed that Gabriella would be stuck in the middle among the circle of people. As he slowly made his way through the crowd, politely saying excuse me, and taking his time to weave through the people, Alex had a tiny smirk as he imagined himself being 'the knight in shining armour' coming to rescue Gabriella. As he glanced around the crowd, he was only slightly discouraged he did not see Troy Bolton amongst the observers.

When Alex finally made his way to the inner circle, he froze in place as the image of himself as Gabriella's saviour disappeared with an angry crash. Now Alex knew why Troy Bolton was no where to be found. The famous basketball player was right there with Gabriella, her slender little finger held close to his mouth, apparently sucking the cut made by the glass, and Gabriella stood mere inches away from him, her glittery green dress reflecting the light from the room, a delicate blush on her cheeks and goose bumps on her arms.

It took several seconds for Gabriella to realize they were in a room filled with people, and blushed even deeper. Troy finally released her finger from his mouth, and Gabriella could see the thin cut made by the glass,

"I told you it wasn't that bad," Gabriella said softly, Troy only softly glared at her for taking the matter so lightly, and Gabriella had to giggle, who was the one who got cut?

"I can't find any band-aids, and Sharpay you need signs around your house!" Anne came back breathlessly, obviously exhausted from her mad search around Sharpay's house. Sharpay apologized sheepishly, but sent a meaningful look and wink to Anne as the younger girl noticed the two in the middle of the circle—and as mean as it sounded, Anne couldn't help but let a satisfied smirk fly through her face when she saw her brother's scandalized look.

"Forget it," Troy said shortly, digging into his jean pocket, he pulled out a beautiful and delicate handkerchief someone had given him so he would sponsor their company. Troy had remembered stuffing it in a random jean pocket, and was lucky to have it that night. It was from quite a famous brand Troy remembered, (Blueberry…Burberry… well something like that), but at that moment, he didn't hesitate ripping the expensive hanky. One end caught between his teeth, and the other caught in one free hand, Troy ripped the cloth into a tiny strip, before he disposed the larger half back into his pocket,

"Troy! That was expensive!" Gabriella gasped, Troy rolled his eyes,

"Forget it," he repeated, taking her hand again, he gently wrapped the tiny strip of cloth around her finger, covering the cut, before his large, rough but gentle hands managed to tie a semi-neat knot, "Better?" Troy said softly, Gabriella nodded, her eyes going from the finger to Troy's face,

"Yea," There was silence among the best friends, and Chad, Jason and Ryan peeked out of the kitchen,

"C'mon dude 10 bucks, just say it now," Chad chanted quietly. A loud cough broke the silence, and Alex stepped into the circle,

"No way man!" Jason and Chad groaned together, Ryan just smirked,

"Are you alright Gabriella?" Alex asked in concern, stepping right next to Gabriella and in front of Troy, Alex took Gabriella's hand away from Troy's gentle grip to examine the knot himself. Troy silently glared at the other man, and Gabriella only smiled softly, and tugged her hand out of Alex's grip,

"I'm fine, just clumsy," she said shortly, "Shar, you wouldn't have a broom would you?"

"Oh, yea I do, it's in the kitchen," said the blonde,

"We'll get it," Taylor piped up, pointing to herself and Kelsi, "Plus I need to find my boyfriend, and what better place than the kitchen?" Kelsi and Taylor left to find Chad, Jason and Ryan standing there looking too innocent for their own good, when Zeke joined them, he looked between the guys and the girls and shook his head,

"No, I don't want to know,"

* * *

Gabriella and Troy didn't get a chance to see one another after the engagement party. With play offs for the Championships coming up, Troy rarely had time to go home, let along visit his favourite girl. And though Gabriella didn't have that kind of international pressure, the evaluation of her internship at the hospital was coming up, and she soon found herself pouring every ounce of energy she had into her work. In fact, the only guy she did see was Alex, who was prone to visiting her in the Hospital, so many times, in fact that the receptionist pretty soon gave up asking who he was looking for, simply giving him a guest tag and then pointed to where ever Gabriella was seen last, or simply paged her over the PA system. Regardless, the rare feeling of irk was soon arriving everyday at noon, because that would be when Alex would visit.

One morning, an hour before her intended shift, Gabriella found herself in the park near Troy's house. It was 8:00 am in the morning, and feeling the need to get some fresh air; Gabriella drove to the park, and began walking around in circles. As spring was approaching, the need for a jacket became less and less, and so the morning found Gabriella in pair of black dress pants (for work) and a pale pink tank top underneath a white collared dress shirt.

That same morning, Troy had woken up early, intending for an early jog before his practice. He had been doing this less and less lately, since the playoffs were approaching, and paparazzi were getting crazier than ever hoping to catch anyone of the Lakers—who were favourites this season. That was why Troy had chosen such an early time for a jog. Holding the black leash the held Shadow, the basketball player and puppy jogged side by side in the park, Troy occasionally looking down at Shadow, who would bark when he caught his eyes, and Troy would smile, the tiny puppy reminding him of his best friend. Troy had driven his Audi to the park, even though it wasn't necessary at all. It was only because he had originally planned to drop by Gabriella's house, sneaking Shadow in. Gabriella hadn't shown up at his house for a few days already, and Troy knew Shadow was missing his mommy just like Troy was missing his Gabby. But as he passed by the park, he paused and soon found himself running, a fountain of thoughts drifting through his mind, it was when Shadow suddenly barked excitedly, and tugged so hard for a tiny puppy his size,

"Shadow!" sighing, Troy sprinted after the runaway puppy, and found his tiny furry body jumping up and down in front of a young woman, "Sorry he just ripped himself out of my grip!" Troy apologized, the woman looked up, and Troy's heart doubled, and a stupid grin appeared on his face,

"Troy!" Gabriella giggled, lifting her dog up, "Aw Shadow, I haven't seen you for so long! Your fur's getting long," Gabriella giggled when the dog licked her cheek then placed him back on the ground, holding onto his leash.

"He missed you," Troy grinned, _"I missed you,"_ his mind added, Gabriella smiled- a little forceful too she noted- and bent down and rubbed Shadow's ears,

"I missed him too," Gabriella said, sneaking a shy look up at Troy, "I couldn't find time to drop by and visit him,"

"I know, your examinations coming up," Troy said, and Gabriella smiled fully, glad he was so attentive to her schedule,

"And you have practices," she added, "I'm sorry for dumping him on you, you got it for me and now you have to take care of him,"

"Don't say that, he's mine too," Troy said, "Besides, it's fun having him around the house, if I ever break anything I can blame it on him," he teased, Shadow barked in response as if protesting to the false accusation and looked curiously between his two owners. He barked again happily, obviously satisfied that his two owners finally got to see one another again after so long. The puppy was tired of his daddy picking and dropping the phone constantly, and pacing around the house. Sure, his house was big, but how was a dog supposed to get any sleep around here if his owner kept pacing up and down!

Gabriella laughed, bending down to rub his head and placate him. At the same time, Troy had also bent down, intending to pick the puppy up. Almost at once, Gabriella's hand touched Troy's, and when they looked up, their eyes were inches away from one another, and the tips of their nose brushed against each other. They could feel the moist breath of the other brushing against their cheeks. As soon as their finger tips touched, a tingling shock ran up the length of their arms, and sent their heart rate to double.

Gabriella blushed. What was going on with her? This was ridiculous! She felt so flushed and out of breath all of a sudden, as if she was a teenager meeting some super star, only ten times stronger.

"_This is Troy!"_ Gabriella's mind chided her, _"Your best friend since forever! The guy you've known for your entire life! You shouldn't be feeling this way!"_ Gabriella had never felt so comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.

Troy could see—no he could _sense_ the abrupt change in the air. Troy could feel every delicate, distinct detail of Gabriella's hand against his. His fingers itched to close in their distance, and wrap themselves around Gabriella's small digits. Troy found his eyes straying to their lightly connected hands, and his fingers twitched softly, brushing against Gabriella's smooth fingers.

"I…uh…I have to go…somewhere—uh work," Gabriella stuttered softly, her eyes locking onto his.

"Yea…" Troy replied, still holding onto her hands. Gabriella paused, then gently pried her hands from the comfortable cocoon that was Troy's hand and bid Shadow and Troy a hasty good bye, nearly fleeing from the spot without a turn and a look backwards. Troy remained there, bent down and in the same position for a bit more, watching Gabriella's retreating back—perhaps waiting for her to turn around, have a sparkle in her eyes, and a wide too-happy-for-8-in-the-morning smile on her face, and telling him to eat breakfast. But it never came, and Troy slowly rose to his feet, took Shadow's leash and made his slow voyage back to his car, the hand that had held Gabriella's hand twitched slightly as Troy remembered the sensation of her hand against his, and itched to reclaim it once again.

Shadow trotted along his master, looking backwards to see his Mistress pausing in front of a silver box that humans tend to go to places with, and saw his Mistress looking back at their direction, as if wanting to catch Troy's eyes—the dog usually did that when he wanted to play. Shadow barked, telling his master to look backwards, but that only made Troy smile softly, but did not look back. Shadow caught Troy's blue eyes, and looked intently and realized that the man's eyes were trained on the ground,

"_Why can't he just look back and admit he wants to play with mommy, geez us dogs would just run to teach other if we wanted to play,"_ Shadow thought, _"Humans make things so complicated!"_ and Shadow barked.

As Gabriella pulled out of the park with all intentions to bury herself in work again, Troy also began to pull out, wanting to take a shower before practice. As his black Audi pulled out, he failed to see a white van across from his car and the field where he and Gabriella just was. He also failed to see the glint of circular glass protruding the curtained windows of the car, and definitely didn't hear the soft clicking sound of an expensive camera. Pulling the lens away from the window, a rookie paparazzo looked at his camera in triumph and several pictures flashed through the digital camera screen. His dream of having his pictures on front page and cover story was about to come true!

* * *

**A/N: AH don't throw tomatoes at me!! –Hides- I'm sorry, it's been forever since I've updated, but school's being a pain, and I was only able to write in certain intervals. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! Hmm did anyone catch a change in Troy and Gabriella's friendship??**


	15. The Bitter and The Sweet

I'm going to try and start this chapter early, and hopefully the time between the last update wouldn't be as long. Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews.

**Zac, Vanessa, Ashley, Corbin, Monique, Kenny Ortega and two executives from HSM3 held a press conference last week to promote the movie. Questions were pretty general; most of them were about the movie, and their characters. One reporter did ask about the Miley Cyrus 'scandal', in which case Vanessa then answered that they were here for the movie and nothing else. Lucas wasn't able to attend because he was sick, get well soon Lucas!**

**At the moment, High School Musical 3: Senior Year is slated for an October 24, 2008 release, we're not sure yet but it's around that time frame. Disney is releasing a new, 2-disc deluxe edition of HSM2 called 'High School Musical 2: Dance Edition', which is currently slated for an October 16****th**** release.**

**High School Musical 3: Senior Year is going to be the **_**first**_** DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie) **_**ever**_** to be slated for big screen release! **

**Both Zac and Nikki Blonskey are nominated for an MTV Award for Breakthrough Performance for **_**Hairspray**_**. Best of luck to both of them!**

**A lot of things seem to be getting pushed back lately. Zac's movie **_**Seventeen Again**_** has now been pushed back from an August release, to a release early in 2009, the date is still unclear. Vanessa's upcoming album **_**Identified**_** has also been pushed back from the June 24****th**** release to a release in July 1****st****. **

**Apparently, Vanessa is going to be filming her music video for 'Sneakernight' sometime this week, I don't know when it's going to be premiered though but I'll bet it's going to be fun! **

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 15: The bitter, and the Sweet_

* * *

When Troy was in the situation he was currently in, he would often look back to when he was in High school, and wondered how he ever thought becoming an international basketball superstar would become his ideal job. Because right now, at the moment, his 'ideal' job was everything else but ideal,

"_How_ did this happen?" asked his manager semi angrily, the older man slapped the magazine onto the wooden desk in front of Troy, who had his head in his hands,

"I don't know alright, I don't go around looking at every single corner to make sure I'm alone, it's never happened before," Troy mumbled through his fingers, then proceeding to rub his temple in an attempt to relieve himself of the stress,

"You should be expecting things like this! This is the season _championships_ Troy; you should know there will be people around!" Bill Borden exclaimed at his young charge,

"I thought you were paying people to look out for me," Troy snapped back in irate. His blue eyes scanned through the colourful pictures that that took over two full pages of the magazine, he flipped the magazine back to the cover, where a picture of him attending a basketball event was stretched on the front page, and beside him, in a circle, was a picture of Gabriella—where they found it, he had no idea, but he recognized the background at it being the theatre back in East High. Troy didn't need three guesses to know which website the picture was taken from.

"_Bill's right…how could I let this happen… how could I let this happen to her?"_ Troy thought to himself miserably. It was one thing when he saw himself in magazines, after all it came with the territory, but when his closest best friend, the one person who meant more to him than anybody was affected by the occupation he was in, that was when Troy would feel the angry bubbling in this gut. It didn't help matters when Gabriella was the person that meant more to him than anything, and that it was her picture that appeared on the magazines.

"Look, Troy you're an adult, I know you'll handle this properly, who knows, this may be good publicity for the upcoming match," said Bill thoughtfully, but Troy frowned,

"This isn't about me," Troy sighed, "They've got my best friend into this web of—" Troy refrained from cursing the magazine, "—of problems. It's not supposed to be her! She's not use to this, she has a normal life for god's sakes and I just ruined it for her!" Troy glared venomously at the pictures before him. The glossy magazine displayed an array of pictures obviously taken in hiding. Regardless, someone would have to be blind to not see it was Troy Bolton with-and Troy quotes- 'a mysterious young woman who seems to have a more than friendship relationship with Troy Bolton'. Throughout the two pages, pictures were enlarged and digitized to ensure the maximum clarity, and Troy could see right down to Gabriella's smallest curl, and Shadow's little form between them. The largest picture of them all, was the frozen still of them staring into each other's eyes, their hands connected on top of Shadow's small body,

"_I've got to see Gabby,"_ Troy thought in determination.

_**Lakers most favourite MVP, Troy Bolton, finds love in childhood friend**_

Gabriella's hands shook slightly as she read, then re-read the words over and over again as she sat stunned at her breakfast table. Since she had been in the hospital for the past few days, Gabriella had yet to have any time for her to reflect upon what happened between Troy and herself that day at the park. Yet as soon as she found the time, this shows up.

Gabriella knew the dangers of being best friend to Troy Bolton. In fact, it was Troy who had approached her first several years ago, when he had been offered the NBA contract, and had headed straight for her house after the offer. The best friends spent the entire night chatting about it, discussing the pros and cons of the offer.

"_You know if I accept this, you'll still be my Gabby," Troy said in all seriousness, Gabriella giggled,_

"_I know, and you know what I think you should take up the offer. It's your dream Troy, and this is a one in a life time opportunity,"_

"_We'll be best friends no matter what,"_

"_I'm counting on that,"_

"_I mean it Brie; I'll be there for you whenever you need me to be even if you don't want me as your best friend anymore,"_

"_Troy!" Gabriella gasped, "I never felt like that, ever!"_

"_I know, but I'm just saying, you know we don't know what's going to happen in the future. If I take this offer, and if I actually make it, I'll be… well I'll be 'famous' let's just say. I don't want anyone bothering you Brie, because I can't promise to control myself from punching whoever did," Troy said, Gabriella was nearly in tears, but held it in, and instead took his hands into hers, cupping his large ones in her small ones, and drawing absent circles on the back of his hand,_

"_I know what you mean, and I know what the contract means. I stand by my statement, you should take it. I _promise_ you Troy Jonathan Bolton, nothing will ever change between us. Whatever the future is, I'll tell you right now that I will be there, no matter what." Gabriella looked straight into Troy's eyes, "Who knows, maybe when you do get famous you wouldn't want _me_ as your best friend anymore," she teased, Troy only looked shocked and ready to protest with all the power in side of him for only a second, before his face split into a grin,_

"_Never," he declared. And it was on that note the two best friends ended that particular topic._

It was the door bell that knocked Gabriella out of her reverie, and she quickly hid the magazine underneath a pillow from her couch, straightened one of Troy's stray t-shirts she was wearing again, and went to answer the door. She should've known better-especially with what she had just read-because as soon as she opened the door, camera began flashing in her face,

"Miss Montez, Miss Montez one moment please!" "What is your relationship with Troy Bolton?" "How long have you two been dating?" "Did you know he was dating a sister from his team before? Were you the reason they broke up?"

Gabriella immediately slammed the door shut, the voices of the reporters outside blissfully muffled by her wooden door. Her heart pounding, Gabriella nearly flew to her phone. She called down to security for her apartment, and asked for the reporters to be removed. A couple of minutes later, the clicks and the questions disappeared from outside her apartment, and she slumped onto her couch. Heart pounding, Gabriella quickly made a call to the hospital, saying she couldn't make it for the day. After the phone call, she sat there, staring aimlessly and at that moment Gabriella wished for Troy's presence now more than ever.

Bill got off the phone, and took a quick look at his angered client. Like the seasoned manager he was, as soon as he had seen the pictures, he had sent one of his employees to Miss Gabriella Montez's place. Being in the business for as long as he was, he knew it would take less than a day for reporters to begin swarming the other wise innocent doctor in training. But as Bill took a quick look at Troy's face, he didn't want to be the one to tell him what his employee had relayed back,

"Troy," Bill cleared his throat, the basketball player looked up with fiery blue eyes, and Bill gulped, "I just got off the phone with a worker of mine, it seems like the reporters acted faster than you expected,"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Apparently, they found Miss. Montez's address, and according to my informant, they're technically staking outside waiting for her to come out,"

"WHAT?" Troy shouted in anger, he shot up, slamming his hands onto Bill's table, the frame on the manager's table shook. "What the hell do they think they're doing?"

"Their jobs?" Bill offered, "Look, Troy you're a very high profiled person, even higher now with championships around the corner. The Lakers are favourites this season, and you are their favourite."

"I'm going to see her," Troy said coldly, grabbing his keys,

"Troy—"

"No I don't give a damn about what the magazines say about me, but I can't let them write crap like that about Gabriella," Troy said sternly, a blazing fire in his eyes, "Not her, anyone I can deal with, but not Gabby," Troy said in a quieter voice. Bill watched his client stride out of his office with determined steps, and Bill sighed. He made a quick phone call to the apartment complex Gabriella Montez lived in, made a quick and blunt conversation with the morning manager, and sighed. Such were the joys of working with young celebrities… and their confused, stubborn feelings.

-

-

"_Oh my gosh, Gabby I'm coming over right now!"_ Sharpay exclaimed over the phone.

"Don't even think about it," Gabriella said sternly. On the phone, Gabriella could hear the distant sounds of cars, and she could tell Sharpay was on speaker, because her voice sounded distant and there were no shuffling sounds from the transition between Sharpay and Taylor.

"_Gabriella this is huge, you have no idea how big of an impact it can be,"_ came Taylor's reprimanding and mothering voice.

"I think I do," Gabriella snapped back, "I'm sorry… it's just… I'm not use to it you know."

"_We know, don't worry Gabby,"_ Sharpay said soothingly, _"Have Troy called you?"_

"No, he's probably busy, and I really don't want him worrying about this, the longer he doesn't know about it, the better,"

"_Gabby, you really need to know how fast gossip can travel,"_ Taylor said,_ "Chad just called, apparently Troy skipped training today because he and his manager was having a 'talk'. I can't blame him, Chad barely made it through the doors with all the reporters, and his manager looks pissed,"_

"Oh no…" Gabriella groaned. The last thing she wanted was having the entire fiasco impact Troy when they were so close to the finals, "I guess I should call him them…Look Shar, I'm so sorry I can't make it to the fitting tonight, you know you and Tay and Kelsi can go ahead,"

"_No way Gabriella Erin Maria, you are not wiggling you way out of this one,"_ Sharpay said sharply,_ "This is _the_ dress Gabby, and I want all my girls there. I'll postpone it."_

"Thanks Sharpay," Gabriella giggled. The phone beeped in between Sharpay's words, "Oh, there's someone on the other line,"

"_1 guesses on who it is,"_ Taylor teased,

"I thought the saying was 3 guesses," Gabriella played along,

"_Yea, but you probably already know who it is,"_ Sharpay teased, _"We'll leave you alone now, and if you can try to stop getting yourself photographed with your famous boyfriend—whoops I meant your famous best friend who is a boy, then I'm going reschedule the dressing for next week,"_

"Funny Shar, next week's fine, see ya," Gabriella pressed the 'Flash' button, the phone clicked, "Hello?"

"_I'm coming over,"_

"What happened to the simple Hello?" Gabriella joked softly; she didn't receive the familiar chuckle,

"_I'm not joking Gabriella, I'm coming over,"_ said Troy, Gabriella sighed, the full name.

"Troy, I'm fine. If anything you should be the one hiding under a rock, if you come it'll only encourage the reporters even more," Gabriella reasoned,

"_I don't give a damn about the reporters, I want to make sure you're ok,"_ Troy said, _"Don't even bother trying to stop me Gabriella, I'm not changing my mind,"_

"You're so stubborn!" Gabriella sighed, "I don't want to get you into more trouble than you're in already…not that I mind seeing you," she added softly. Who was she kidding? She didn't mind the _least_ at seeing him. Gabriella could sense Troy was calming down, because of the soft silence that followed after her comment,

"_I'm sorry Brie,"_

"Don't be," she said simply, she broke out into a smile when he had reverted in calling her by the nicknames he had made up for her.

"_I'll be up in a few minutes, I'm going through the backdoor, Bill can work miracles,"_ Troy grinned,

"He'd have to if he wants to survive with you," Gabriella teased. It was with a good chuckle from Troy, and a lightened spirit that Gabriella hung up the phone. It only took a minute or so for the doorbell to ring once more. Grinning to herself, she went to open it. Troy must've been pretty close if he came up that fast…that or he was running like a maniac from reporters.

-

-

"Finally," Troy grumbled as he pulled into the back entrance. After having been stuck behind a slow Chrysler-who finally disappeared by turning into the main entrance-Troy quickly shut down his car, and snuck his way into the back entrance where, as promised, the apartment manager was waiting for him. After a quick apology, Troy took the service elevator up to Gabriella's level.

-

-

"When were you going to tell me??" Alex slapped the magazine onto Gabriella's table, his dark hair in disarray and his face flushed with anger. Gabriella, on the other hand leaned against the wall across from him, fidgeting slightly,

"I was going to tell you… I just found out about it today," Gabriela admitted,

"How can you let this happen?" Alex rubbed his temple, "No it's not your fault, it's _his_ fault, and he's the one who pulled you into this,"

"It's not Troy's fault!" Gabriella exclaimed, Alex's eyes flashed up at her,

"Will you stop being so blind? He probably did this to gain popularity or something, his finals are coming up, they need sales, it's what they do, it's what celebrities do," Alex said, "Trust me Gabriella, I know, I work with actors,"

"And I know Troy," Gabriella retorted angrily, "And he's not like that at all! You don't know him like I do,"

"I don't want to know him, I know exactly what his type is like," Alex said coldly, "Gabriella, you have to realize people change when they grow up, sure you and Troy have been friends for years, but he might not be the same anymore,"

"You're wrong," Gabriella said simply, "Anything else I'll say you're right, but you're wrong about Troy. It's my fault as much as it is his, _both_ of us are in the pictures, so both of us will bear the responsibilities, I don't need you to yell at me like I'm 2,"

"I'm not—"

"Yes you are! You're telling me who I know and don't know. Alex I'm 24, I'm old enough to think for myself, and definitely old enough to know who I'm with. Out of everybody Troy shouldn't even be the one I have to be worried about," Gabriella said in a cool, calm voice.

"Gabby… look I may have gone over board… I'm sorry, I just-I got hot headed, I'm sorry," Alex said slowly, wanting to placate her. Gabriella softened slightly,

"I don't feel so well today… I need some time alone," she said quietly, Alex nodded mutely, but walked closer, and planted a quick kiss on her forehead,

"I'll call you," he said, Gabriella nodded stiffly, walking over to the door to open it. Grasping the door knob, Gabriella pulled it opened, and caught the familiar overdose of cologne that sent her senses to relax,

"Too much," Gabriella said softly, looking up into Troy's blue eyes, he had a small smile on his face,

"Figured," he shrugged,

"Were you out here for the entire time?" Gabriella asked softly, the last thing she wanted was for Troy to hear their argument,

"Only a couple of minutes, I was polite enough not to knock down the door and wait outside," he shrugged, he looked up and above Gabriella's head, and stiffly met Alex's eyes, the two men nodded to each other with forced courtesy.

"Alex don't you have somewhere to go?" Gabriella asked a lot calmer now. Alex nodded absently, when really he didn't have anything planned at all. But at that moment, he was not about to act like a fool and shake his head, then having his girlfriend ask him to stay out of _sympathy_.

"I'll call you," Alex repeated a little stronger this time, Gabriella nodded, accepted his quick kiss on the cheek and a quick hug around the waist, smirked and acknowledged Troy's unintentional flinch and was out the door. Pushing through the reporters still gathered at the entrance of the apartment complex, Alex got into his Chrysler, and pulled off.

"Bad timing?" Troy asked gently as Gabriella invited him in and shut the door,

"He was just mad about the pictures, along with everyone else," Gabriella rolled her eyes. Troy flinched,

"I'm sorry Gabby, I really didn't mean for that to happen, I didn't even find out until Bill called this morning," Troy apologized, Gabriella smiled, and shook her head,

"It's not your fault. I'm sure Bill was pretty mad when he found out. It just comes with the territory,"

"Not with you," Troy protested, "If it were anyone one else in the gang I wouldn't mind as much, but not with you,"

"I can take care of myself," Gabriella snapped,

"I know you can, but it doesn't mean I care about you any less," Troy shot back just as quickly,

"I'm not saying you don't, but let me handle this." Gabriella said sternly, placing a hand on his arm, "I know you care about me, and I appreciate that, but you're not going to always be here whenever I get in trouble,"

"Yes I am," Troy said automatically,

"Troy, be logical. We're adults, one day we're going to meet different people, have different friends, we have different jobs, eventually we'll m…marry different people," Gabriella forced out the last part, adding in a forced smile for Troy's sake. For once it didn't work. Troy's face darkened with a frown, the idea of Gabriella with someone else for the rest of her life didn't sit well with him no matter how she said it,

"Well even then I'll still be there," Troy said forcefully, "No one in this world is going to split us apart, we're like… I don't know…"

"Peanut butter and jam," Gabriella giggled softly, "Mom called us that,

"You're my princess and I'm your knight in shining armour," Troy said, at that point Gabriella blushed softly, an image of her in a flowing gown being carried off into the sunset safely tucked in Troy's arms with skies as blue as his eyes, "Mom called us that," Troy added in his defence.

"But you were… you are," Gabriella corrected softly and sheepishly, when Troy tilted his head sideways, his mouth twitching slightly and his eyes twinkling as if beckoning her go on, Gabriella smiled, "You protected me in kindergarten, elementary school, high school, even when we didn't go to the same university you were there."

"Well when you put it that way, I am pretty awesome," Troy puffed out his chest proudly, grinning. Gabriella laughed, shaking her head at him yet at the same time, regarded him with a type of affection she knew she only gave him. Troy could see it in her eyes, the way it softened and brightened whenever she caught him happy. He was her life line as much as she was his. Somehow, in the middle of Troy reading Gabriella's eyes, and her giving him a look only for him, the two best friends had moved closer to one another, so close in fact, that should they stretch their hands, the tips of their fingers would oh so gently graze one another's.

At that moment, Troy decided to stop all logical train of thought. His blue eyes brazenly shifted downwards, first soaking in Gabriella's chocolate brown eyes, then visibly moved downward, drinking in her exquisite features in extreme detail, taking in every eye lash, the gentle slope of her nose. He skipped her lips, fully intending to go back to it as his eyes reached the tip of her chin, and the dip of her neck, then they flew back to her lips, which were a light cherry red. His eyes stayed there happily.

Gabriella didn't know whether or not to hyperventilate, or to try and take deep and even breaths to clam down her heart-which was beating fast enough to feel like she had just, ran an entire marathon. Gabriella could literally feel the heat pouring off of Troy, and mixing with her own, and when her eyes went to meet his, she saw his eyes moving and examining every part of her face, and she blushed. It was terrible for her to feel like this, she knew it was. She had a boyfriend for crying out loud! The very man who had just left not 10 minutes ago. Yet here she was, standing barely 5 inches away from her best friend and…and what? Did she expect a teasing remark? Maybe…but then who would tease someone when they were standing _this_ close? Did she expect a hug? That would be nice…

Did she expect a kiss?

That was something Gabriella never dared approach until that very moment, and unbeknownst to her, it was also something that had popped into Troy's mind more than once for the past few weeks. A kiss was something completely unexpected, yet it was something the two of them found themselves longing.

"Um," Gabriella cleared her throat uncomfortably, her tongue darting out of her lips nervously, meeting anywhere but Troy's eyes for fear of completely succumbing, thus missing the quick flicker of his eyes when he had caught her tongue darting out from its cave.

"Don't do that," Troy said oh so quietly, Gabriella looked up, confused and nervous yet again,

"Do what?"

"That," Troy said, raising his hand, and brushing his thumb against the corner of her mouth her tongue had just grazed moments ago. Gabriella-out of habit-bit her bottom lip nervously, "Don't," Troy repeated quietly once again. Gabriella slowly obliged, "Don't… please just…don't say anything," Troy begged softly. Gabriella had never heard him speak so quietly, so emotionally, had never heard him beg so sincerely, he must've really wanted to do something.

"Say…what…about what?" she asked softly, Troy did respond, only standing still. The two seconds it took for him to gaze on her felt like an eternity for Gabriella. Yet time sped up, and eternity turned into seconds when her entire vision became blocked by Troy. The moment her eyes locked with his, she knew what was to happen…and didn't have the will power to stop it…at all. Following her instincts, Gabriella closed her eyes.

They had 19 years and 3 months of friendship to back them up. They had a life time of memories of one another to cherish. They had a promise they swore to keep when they were 10. But the moment Troy's lips had come in contact with Gabriella's, everything up until that point was wiped from their minds. Mind blank, Troy's arms rose and found its familiar position around Gabriella's waist, only this time, they pulled her closer to him. And Gabriella-who have kissed before but never like this-managed one arm around his torso, and one hand gripping his shirt thought nothing more but the feelings that was about to burst out of her, and a feeling similar to putting the last piece of the puzzle to form a perfect picture.

At least at that moment, for all 8 seconds of it, all Troy and Gabriella could think about, was each other.

* * *

**A/N: That's right—I made them kiss! Was it planned? Um no not really…ha-ha, but I thought it was about time, after all it's been 15 chapters, and I thought it'd make you guys pretty happy? Right? Right? What's going to happen next? Well it's up to your imagination… but until next time, review!**


	16. Reflections

I've gotten a lot of reviews regarding the last chapter. It seems like many of you are quite anxious to figure out what happened to Troy and Gabriella. Hopefully my procrastination bug won't get any better and I can have this chapter out soon.

**Vanessa is ranked #12 on Maxim's hot 100 list. Way to go Vanessa! What did Zac have to say about his girl making the list? He said he's proud of her, and that she deserves it. Vanessa comically added that Zac already had a legion of girls following him.**

**Production is going smoothly for HSM3. Extra and Good Morning America did segments on behind the scenes, and the movie looks to be amazing! The costume sure looks amazing. Monique Coleman-in her interview-has already admitted that Lucas and Ashley have an amazing number planned in the cafeteria, and Corbin and Zac get to do a song together for the first time. She also said the movie is set to begin with an insane number right in the gym!**

**A fun little tidbit: it seems as though Zac arrived a few weeks **_**after**_** rehearsals for the dances had begun because he had to stay and finish filming his newest movie **_**Me and Orsen Wells**_**. In an interview, he said that it was such a bad idea, because it was insanely hard to catch up. He makes examples, such as calling Corbin Bleu being such a natural dancer, and saying it was hard to catch up to Vanessa. Filming is expected to last until late June.**

**Apparently, Vanessa's new movie **_**Will**_** has changed titles, it is now rumoured to be called **_**Rock On**_**. **

**I've been asked this question so I thought I'd answer it. Previously I said that HSM3 would be the first Disney movie to be released in theatres, but then people have asked 'Well isn't Hannah Montana making a movie?' Yes, there IS a Hannah Montana movie coming out (Miley Cyrus is currently filming that in Tennessee I believe), but keep in mind the Hannah Montana is a Disney **_**show**_** and not a movie. The High School Musical franchise began as a Disney Channel Original Movie, and HSM3 is the first Disney Channel Original Movie to be on screen. Hannah Montana IS NOT the first Disney **_**series**_** to hit the big screen, 'Lizzie McGuire' has also made a movie 'The Lizzie McGuire Movie'.**

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 16:Reflecting_

* * *

Alex ran a hand through his dark hair. Maybe he had started a _bit_ too strong, but really who could blame him? No one liked to see his girlfriend in international magazines—with a popular, famous (and good looking according to many of his female colleagues) basketball player. It didn't help that Gabriella seemed to have a real soft spot for the basketball professional.

"_Well if he can be understanding and calm, so can I,"_ Alex thought in determination. He would prove to Gabriella that he could be just as understanding as Troy Bolton could ever be. But first off, he would have to call his girlfriend, and come up with a good, well thought out apology.

-

-

Gabriella Montez had always been told she thought more with her heart than her mind. Her heart ruled over whatever logic and common sense she held, and more than often brought her quite the handful of troubles. In fact, Gabriella prided herself in having a balance of both; a balance of emotion and a balance of logic. She wouldn't be too weak and bend to everyone's whim and will, but at the same time she won't be so cold hearted, and calculate every single step she made…especially now…because she couldn't calculate or come up with any type of clues and steps that led them to where she was now.

Snug and deep in Troy's arms, with her lips working against his, god she tried so hard not to respond, but the stupid, incredible man that Troy was, he could make a rock kiss him back if he wanted to.

"_I shouldn't be doing this, I have a boyfriend, and Troy's my best friend! We grew up with one another, it's going to make things awkward for us—good lord where did this boy learn to kiss so well?"_ all those thoughts and more ran through Gabriella's head, especially the latter one because she couldn't agree with it more. It was terrible for her to admit, but she felt a side of her become free when he had kissed her. He drew her in with one fell swoop, and her arm had wrapped around him, and her other hand had automatically gripped his shirt in an effort to keep him in his position. With her eyes closed, she could only imagine what he looked like, and allowed her subconscious and her emotions run wild through her body, while her mind remained sharp and alert to memorize every single feel and detail of Troy's lips.

Troy had lost control before; Gabriella had told him as much. He knew he was no champion in keeping his anger in check—but in his defence it was because someone was provoking either his friends, family or Gabriella. He also knew that while he had moderate control, his emotions were more or less out of his control. He would always feel the heat rushing to his face whenever he blushed, but could never keep the red down, and-though he only admitted it to Gabriella-he had cried when watching movies ("Chick flicks" Gabriella had once corrected teasingly), but again, in his defence, he blamed it on the music and the actors and the sad story line. Gabriella had only listened with mild interest; an absent nod and a 'Sure Troy' just to placate him.

Now…now Troy was pretty sure he was in control. He knew exactly what he was doing, he was in full control over his emotions, he pushed down the feeling of guilt for the next 8 seconds, focusing only on the feel of Gabriella's soft, gentle lips, and the gentle brush of skin as their nose met each others. The smell of his best friend was simply intoxicating. He could smell the faint scent of strawberries in her hair from her shampoo, and then there was the unique scent of Gabriella that reminded Troy of lavender, dawn and dusk during Spring and a hint of something spicy all mixed together to fill Troy's senses.

"_Troy Bolton, snap out of it! This is your best friend, you're going to scare her!" _screamed his subconscious, and it was with the utmost reluctance that he gently pulled away, realizing he couldn't go far because of Gabriella's surprisingly firm grip on his shirt. He slowly opened his eyes, his body wanting to take every single second to memorize the feeling he just had, and found Gabriella's own eyes closed, her lips slightly parted, and her breathing slightly irregular. Troy was sure if he hugged her close (and he was sorely tempted too), he would feel her heart beating as fast as his.

"Sorry," Troy breathed out ever so silently, hoping he won't get a horrified and disgusted look from his best friend. He didn't know what he would do if that single action had ruined what he had between himself and Gabriella. But when she finally opened her eyes, and allowed him to see her chocolate orbs, he was quite surprised to see the swirl of emotions in it; particularly the spark of annoyance amongst those emotions.

What the heck was the boy thinking? Gabriella's mind wanted to shout at him for pulling away so suddenly. The rational side of her said that it was the right thing to do, and the right time to back away and save her from further embarrassment—as well as further treading of dangerous and fragile grounds. However, her rational side wasn't having a good day, primarily not succeeding in winning Gabriella. At the moment, her emotions reigned supreme.

"Don't." the brunette repeated Troy's words earlier, only more breathlessly and-she would later blush with embarrassment-more husky than she would've liked. Doing something she would've never done should she be rational, she took her fist that gripped his shirt, and pulled him towards her, thus initiating the kiss once more. Troy's expression was priceless. It was sheer shock…but a pleasant shock. Troy had never seen this side of Gabriella before, the side of Gabriella that had no restraints but what popped into her mind at the very moment. It was a spontaneous side of her that Troy knew she was afraid to show…well if this was what she was like every time she showed it, Troy would have to make sure he was by her side, and not any other guy.

His mind deciding to stop thinking, he concentrated on the kiss once more, and encouraged by Gabriella's initiative, pulled her even closer to him, so that he could feel her heart against his. Somewhere along the line, Gabriella had begun pushing him backwards, walking away from the door and towards a table in the middle. When Troy's knees hit the edge of the living room table, he faltered for a second, and feeling his lack of balance, Gabriella had tugged on his shirt, pulling him back up and closer, never once disconnecting the kiss, but pulling him even closer in turn.

Gabriella liked this feeling; it gave her a rush that sent her light headed, yet jumpy for joy all at once. Courageously, she released Troy's shirt form her fist, and wound it around his neck, her fingers brushing the base of his beck and the tip of his hair. Troy shivered. And then, of all things to happen in that very moment to ruin the mood…the phone rang. Troy inwardly groaned, and Gabriella felt a sharp pang of disappointment.

"Gabby…" Troy mumbled against her lips, the vibration sent Gabriella giggling slightly, "Brie…the phone,"

"I know,"

"You should get it,"

"I should,"

"It's still ringing,"

"It is,"

"It's getting annoying,"

"That's nice,"

"Brie!" Troy cried exasperatedly. Pulling away from him, Gabriella shyly backed away, and stumbled her way around the table to reach her cordless, all the while, Troy had to resist the urge to close his eyes and relive the past few minutes once more. What was wrong with her? She should've just pulled away when she had the chance, not ask for another one! But oh dear god did she like what she had felt for the past few seconds.

"H-Hello?" Gabriella answered in a rather breathless voice. Her blush deepened when Troy had turned over hearing her voice, with a far away look in his eyes. She fought the urge to look away, only offering a shaky smile, "Alex?" Troy froze immediately but this time for a completely different reason. Whatever warmth was left over from Gabriella had disappeared with a sickening cold wash, and a deep frown,

"_Gabriella? Are you ok you sound out of breath,"_ Alex said worriedly on the phone. Gabriella took a deep, shaky breath,

"I um…I was doing something before… and it kind of left me breathless," again a glint in Troy's eyes caught her attention and she quickly reworded it, "I mean I was busy," Darn that didn't sound so good either!

"_Oh well I wanted to call to apologize, I'm sorry I over reacted, that was immature of me, I know you can take care of yourself, but I'm just worried for you," _Alex said in his most sincere voice, and it caused Gabriella to grimace. What had she been doing when her boyfriend had been coming up with the best apology he could make? She had been kissing her best friend that's what—and she enjoyed it… and she even pulled him back for another one! Some girlfriend she was turning out to be.

"No, it's ok, I understand, I-I don't blame you," Gabriella said ever so softly. Behind her, Troy had begun pacing in a slow, deliberate pace, all the while avoiding the area that held Gabriella and the phone.

"_So how about we go out, and mull the whole thing over with dinner?" _Alex asked hopefully, _"I know you need someone to talk to, and I want to find a way to make it up to you, what do you say? How about tonight, I'll pick you up at 8?" _Gabriella paused for a while. Going out today…or any other day for the upcoming few weeks might prove to be a problem. But…well if people thought she was going out with Troy, wouldn't it be better to prove them wrong by going out with her real boyfriend?

"Yea…yea I'd like that, tonight at eight then," Gabriella replied. Gabriella could tell Alex was happy with the situation, and he quickly told her where'd they go and with a quick farewell, ended their conversation. Sighing, Gabriella hung up, they were eating Japanese tonight…she couldn't remember when she ate Japanese food, but the idea of raw fish never really appealed to her. Why the heck did she just tell him she'd go? She had no idea. Turning around, she realized Troy was still standing there,

"Got plans tonight?" Troy said quietly, facing down, Gabriella nodded, not sure whether or not he had really seen it since he wasn't looking at her. She fidgeted with her hands,

"Troy," she began,

"Well have fun, be careful, you'll be surprised how many places there are for paparazzi to hide," Troy said quickly, Gabriella recognized it as his way to overcome whatever feeling he disliked, as well as an effort to not talk of what had just happened,

"Troy, wait, can we talk?" Gabriella asked gently, Troy's eyes flickered with what she thought was pain,

"Can't sorry, coach…practice, finals, you know, I'll um, I'll call you later tonight. Bye," and without his usual hug, or teasing comment, or even a quick peck on the cheek (_"Don't even think about the lips,"_ Gabriella's mind chided her sternly), Troy swirled around, and with two long strides he was out the door and the entrance slammed shut. Gabriella sighed, and for the first time since her childhood years, buried her head into a nearby pillow and screamed. Whoever said a person was the key to one's heart was wrong…because that kiss had opened something completely different.

Slipping out the back door quicker than he had came in, Troy jumped into his Audi, ignited the car, and dashed off before the car could really start up. It was bad for his car, but at the moment it didn't register in his mind. Pulling out in what he was sure was over the speed limit, Gabriella's apartment complex disappeared from his rear view mirror within seconds, and the reporters –who continued to stake outside the entrance- failed to notice the black car zooming out the back.

Troy shook his head as he made his eyes stay determinedly on the road. He commanded his brain to not stray further than when to turn left, and when to press the brake. What the hell did he think he was doing? Kissing his best friend like that!

"_I'll be lucky if she speaks to me,"_ Troy thought dryly, although Gabriella did say that she wanted to talk to him…was it to tell him they couldn't be friends anymore? Troy's heart twisted painfully in his chest, and he had to pull his car to the side, and shutting his car once more. He placed his forehead onto the steering wheel, his teeth clenched and eyes shut. He didn't know how he would survive if Gabriella wasn't there anymore. He needed to talk to someone, and it was evident that Gabriella was no longer a choice…not with this situation. He could always call the guys, but they wouldn't understand-with their girlfriends and all, plus Zeke was stressing over his engagement, maybe Sharpay Taylor or Kelsi? No, definitely not Sharpay or Taylor, they would only rub it in his face about taking so long, and he was not in the mood for their jokes. The auburn haired musician usually had good advices…but then again he wasn't sure how he would explain how he felt. Kelsi and he had never been too close.

Then he took his phone out, and scanned through the first few names. Of all people he was going ask her…wow talk about irony. The phone rang for a couple of seconds,

"_Wow, did I do something wrong? I swear I didn't tip the paparazzi as cute as those pictures look,"_

"Not exactly in the mood for jokes, do you have time?" Troy sighed,

"_Does this have anything to do with my brother?"_

"No, surprisingly," Troy smirked,

"_Oh so Gabriella it is,"_

"Anne, I'm going to say something I never thought I'd say to you,"

"_Look, Troy I know we've been talking with one another a lot lately, I mean… first the party nearly a week ago, and now this, but I really only like you as a friend,"_ said Anne in her teasing voice, Troy scoffed,

"I was going to say you're very perceptive, but I guess I was wrong,"

"_Funny Bolton, because of that, coffee's on you. I'm at Starbucks by Sharpay's house, lucky for you I'm still up for some coffee,"_

Troy ignited his car once more, and pulled a U-turn before heading to meet his best friend's boyfriend's sister…talk about a twisted connection.

* * *

"He called you?" Sharpay shrieked into her phone. She was currently sitting in her rather big living room and looking over wedding gown magazines. True to her word, she had postponed the dressing schedule to next week after making quick phone calls to Kelsi and Taylor to inform them of the change of plans, but that didn't mean the blonde couldn't peruse and select one or two…or three…or twenty dresses that she liked.

"_Yea just now, he's meeting me a Starbucks,"_ Anne said excitedly on the other phone. Sharpay was proud to see some of herself in the younger woman, it made conspiring and plotting that much more fun. Sharpay closed the magazine she had been perusing with mild interest, before pulling out a magazine filled with suits and tux for guys,

"So he asked you on a date?" Sharpay asked, unintentionally putting a bit of sharp edge in her words, Anne caught it easily,

"_Relax, it's not a date, I think he wants to talk…besides my date left before he called,"_ Anne held a little smirk and Sharpay laughed,

"Did he say what he wanted to talk about?"

"_Something about Gabriella, well at least I think about her. He didn't deny or confirm it…" _Anne paused for a second, _"Oh my gosh do you think something happened?"_

"Like what?"

"_Like if they got into a fight or something,"_

"I doubt that, their fights don't even last longer than an hour at most…Troy won't be able to take it," Sharpay snickered, Anne laughed,

"_Well Alex said he was going out to dinner with Gabriella tonight, which is sort of odd because you'd think Gabriella would have enough common sense to know not to go out after the pictures were released,"_ Anne said in a logical voice.

"You know this might be a good thing," Sharpay said after a thoughtful silence. Anne thought that the marriage thing finally got to Sharpay's conniving head, because Anne couldn't figure out how having Gabriella and Troy _not_ seen together could help them _get_ together,

"_Please, explain because I am quite obviously not as experienced at conspiring against my friends as you are,"_

"Please you flatter me," Sharpay laughed, "Well maybe all they need is a little push…and what better push then to see the person you like being with someone else? We've already got Troy down with Alex dating Gabby; maybe it's time to make Gabby see the light,"

"_And how are we supposed to do that?"_

"Be a good little sister, and call your brother to tell him your plans, you won't want him to get worried about his younger sister having a coffee date with Troy Bolton in front of Gabby now would you?" Sharpay hinted not so subtly.

"_What-oh… girl you need to work on your subtlety," _Anne laughed, _"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a call to make to my brother,"_

"Excellent, toodles," Sharpay snapped her pink cell phone closed as she caught sight of a suit she thought would look dashing on Zeke…along with the other twenty-three she chose before hand, just then the door opened, and her mentioned fiancé walked through the door, "Hey,"

"I'm back," Zeke said needlessly, dropping a quick kiss he noticed the familiar gleam of mischievousness in her eyes that she got whenever she was hit with the matchmaking bug, "What did you do?"

"Nothing," Sharpay said innocently, Zeke rolled his eyes, he was about to get married to her, he knew more than enough to know it was more than nothing, but realized he didn't want to get involved. Instead, he glanced down and saw a red circle around a tux,

"Shar not another one!"

"But this one would look great on you!"

"Sharpay, what am I going to do with 24 suits?!"

-

-

Anne hung up her phone when Sharpay's voice had disappeared. She had to smile; the blonde really had a lot of tricks up her sleeves… _a lot_.

"Remind me never to get on her bad side," Anne thought to herself, drinking the last drops of her coffee,

"Not to get on whose bad side? I promise I'm really not as cranky as people say I am," said an amused voice behind her. Anne turned around, and Troy stood behind her, his brown hair still as messy as ever, but with a large black sun glass over his eyes and covering most of the top part of his face.

"Not with that disguise… very inconspicuous, I had no idea who you were at all," Anne smirked. Troy only mockingly glared at her (at least she _thought_ he glared at her), but gruffly asked for her order of coffee before disappearing in line. Anne laughed; oh being an actress was much more fun than being a model. And who would be a better audience than her own brother?

* * *

True to his word, Alex arrived at Gabriella's at 8. Thankfully there were fewer numbers of paparazzi, but with his experience and keen eye sight, he did notice an extra few white vans parked outside that looked suspiciously busy on the inside of occasional lens popping out. The door swung opened, and Alex smiled, greeting Gabriella who wore a navy tunic dress with curled hair and heels that had strings wrapped mid-way up her calf.

"You look amazing," Alex grinned, shooting her his best smile; Gabriella smiled back, digging through her purse for her keys,

"Thanks, not so bad yourself," Gabriella said softly. Locking her doors, she took a deep breath while her back was still facing him. She needed to do this; she needed to prove the magazines wrong, that she _wasn't_ dating Troy, her best friend…her best friend who was an amazing kisser—

"_Don't go there Montez,"_ Gabriella chided sternly. Putting on a smile, Gabriella turned around, and allowed Alex to lead the way. Fortunately Alex had parked in the guest parking lot, thus successfully in hiding them from the multiple white vans parked outside. None of the paparazzi who continued to stake outside paid any attention to the Chrysler that pulled out, for they knew Troy Bolton drove an Audi.

"Are you feeling better?" Alex asked,

"A bit," Gabriella lied. In truth, her mind hadn't been at rest ever since Troy walked out of her door. Her mind made up so many scenarios that she already lost track whether or not any of them would actually work. Her mind kept replaying the fact that she could've stopped him, but she didn't. What did he think about the kiss? Maybe it was purely accidental, maybe he had thought she was someone else entirely…the last thought made her cringe, but what if it were true?

_Don't…_

Gabriella could still feel his gentle yet rough finger brushing against the corner of her lips. Her lips had parted automatically once she the shivering sensation had passed over. Then there she was, hopelessly locked, trapped within the cages of his insanely blue eyes. His eyes were reflecting her emotions, nervousness, shyness, hesitation…longing…or were they his emotions? She couldn't tell the swirl in her eyes mixed in with the swirls in his. Then they had unknowingly pulled closer by each other.

_Please…just don't say anything…_

Gabriella couldn't get his voice out of her mind. It echoed around her head like there was nothing inside, and the moment she had kissed him, her mind _did_ feel like there was nothing inside. It was wiped completely blank, empty and hollow with nothing but the feel of Troy's lips on hers, and the emotions and feelings that ran through her body like a horse out of control. God his voice… it had just suddenly gotten so deep, and so hoarse like he couldn't speak, like it had taken great effort to say the word…but not really wanting to say them at all. Could someone feel scared and excited, nervous but calm at the same time? Troy had that affect on her…she didn't know why…nor did she ever try to question it he just…did. End of story.

"Gabby? We're here," Alex grinned, snapping Gabriella out of her reflection. Gabriella started for a second, her mind failing to catch up to the present, it was until she saw the sushi place did she remember she was on a dinner date. Like the gentleman Alex was, he ran to the other side, and opened her door for her, and Gabriella smiled her thanks, genuinely pleased with his actions,

"_You're on a date with your boyfriend, just forget about it for now and enjoy yourself,"_ she told herself with determination. She relaxed her muscles, and smiled, allowing Alex to curl his hand around hers. He led her inside the Japanese sushi house, and the waitress led them to a table for two by the window that was left reserved. After quick glances at the menu, Alex had taken the liberty to order a medium sized boat of sushi, and Gabriella added a side dish of cooked eel rice.

"I was hoping this might take your mind off things, I doubt paparazzi stake out a Japanese restaurants," Alex smiled,

"True, smart thinking Mr. Ricci," Gabriella laughed softly, the first time in a couple of hours. Alex was pleased, and was more than content to just sit with his girlfriend, until his cell phone rang, breaking their comfortable silence. Growling slightly when he saw Anne's name on his screen, he shot Gabriella a sheepish look and a shrug, mouthing 'Anne', Gabriella only laughed good naturedly and waved him to answer the phone,

"This better be good Anne," Alex hissed into his phone,

"_Tsktsk, manners Lex,"_ Anne said amusedly on the other line, _"Where are you?"_

"Oh a date which is none of your business," Alex retorted,

"_Oh are you eating sushi? Was that why you reserved a spot, it's with Gabriella isn't it? Let me talk to her!"_

"No way!" Alex said stubbornly, "Look if all you're going to do is bother me then I'm going to hang up,"

"_Gees fine, you told me to tell you if I had plans, well now I do,"_

"Good for you," Alex said sarcastically, "Now is that it?"

"_It's with Troy, you know, Troy Bolton? We're at a coffee shop right now,"_

"Coffee shop? Didn't you say you had a date at the coffee shop—" Alex paused, shooting a look at Gabriella, who was looking out the window, turned to look at him with a smile that asked what was going on. Alex could've jumped up and done a victory dance, Anne was playing this just right! "So Troy Bolton was your date at the coffee shop?"

Gabriella's who stature froze almost instantly at the mention of Troy's name. Did Alex just mention Anne had a date with Troy? Didn't he say he had to go to practice? How come Troy never said anything to her?

"_If you remember your lips and his lips were quite busy at the time,"_ her conscience smirked inside her. Gabriella waved it away. Ok fine, so that was a couple of minutes, what about the other few minutes where they just stood there? Maybe…maybe he didn't _want_ to tell her? It hurt to know that he didn't trust her, but then again they _were_ adults… and she was only the best friend he kissed, and he was only the best friend she kissed back. So what? What was one kiss? Gabriella bet-with a cringe- that he had probably kissed other girlfriends just like that before (How wrong she was!).

_I'll call you later…_

Maybe that was just a way for him to leave so that he wouldn't be late for his date. Suddenly Gabriella's heart grew cold. If Troy could pretend nothing had happened, then she could too! She had a boyfriend after all, and she wasn't about to let him ruin it for her! Jaws set, she reverted her eyes back to Alex, who was finishing his conversation in a hushed tone,

"Sorry, that was Anne, I told her to tell me where she was going later tonight," Alex apologized a little too gleefully, "Turns out she had a date with—"

"Food's here!" Gabriella interrupted when the waitress brought their miso soup. Gabriella immediately immersed herself in stirring the soup, and drinking the unique tasting liquid. The soup was hot, and it burned her throat slightly as she drank it, but as long as she was preoccupied with something, she could avoid talking about Troy all together.

Throughout the entire dinner, Gabriella talked, laughed and ate with Alex, while her left hand remained hidden under the table, fingering her phone. Whenever a cell phone rang around her, she would jerk suddenly, only to realize it was someone else's phone. Her hand wrapped around her phone waited in anticipation for the vibration, and the ring tone that would signal her of an incoming call.

The phone never rang that night.

-

-

At the same time, at a Starbucks in front of a coffee already gone cold, Troy sighed as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. Anne had been a great listener, and after listening to her recounting her date before he had arrived, Anne had patiently listened to Troy's story,

"So the paparazzi took a couple of pictures, Gabriella's not the kind of person to get mad over that," Anne reasoned, Troy shook his head,

"It's not that," he mumbled, Anne waited expectantly, "I kissed her afterwards," Anne's mouth dropped, "And she kissed me back,"

"Then why the hell are your brooding? Shouldn't you be jumping for joy right about now?" Anne asked,

"That's just it…I do feel like that…but I shouldn't," Troy insisted, Anne raised her eye brow at him. What was wrong with this boy? The girl he likes-might even possibly love-kissed him back and…he's feeling sorry for himself?

"Anne, she's my best friend…the fact that I kissed her first was wrong enough…I broke one of the most important rules in friendship," Troy groaned and Anne sensed there was more,

"And…?" Anne probed gently, Troy looked up, his startling blue eyes so filled with confusion it shocked Anne for a second, and left her breathless,

"And I want to do it again…I want to feel like that again."

* * *

**A/N: I managed to finish this chapter in two days! I hope this was alright, see, no stress or tension between the two at all! Well except their relationship because it's going to change for the—well that's for me to know and you to find out!**

**I'm wondering if any of you have seen the newest Narnia movie "Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". I saw it last week and I absolutely LOVED it (especially William Moseley who played Peter). Anyway, I loved it so much I wrote a one-shot of it. It's called "The Kings and Queens of Old' basically focusing on the Pevensie. Please if you've seen the movie or just know the book or is interested, do me a favour and drop by and leave a review? Much appreciated!**


	17. Not a child

Hello everyone! Sorry for the late update! I've been busy with exams, but luckily they're over now so I have the entire summer to look forward to! Anyways, on with the story!

**Not much to report about the cast of HSM. Vanessa released her third music video from Hollywood Records, her first one off her upcoming album 'Identified'. Her fist single, Sneakernight, was made into a very fun video. I've seen it, she looks absolutely gorgeous, and while not exactly reflective off of her sweet Gabriella character, it's still fun and appropriate for all ages.**

'**Identified' is to be released on July 1****st****, and Vanessa has been confirmed to be doing a summer tour, occasionally joined by Corbin Bleu. Zac's movie, 'Seventeen Again' is now pushed back to a February 2008 release. has released 30 seconds snippets of Vanessa's new album, and it's sounding so amazing! Youtube also has snippets. **

**Vanessa is nominated for Choice Female Hottie this year, make sure to go and vote for her! Zac is nominated for Choice Male Hottie as well as Choice Red Carpet Icon for this year's Teen Choice Awards.**

* * *

_Chapter 17: Not a child_

* * *

"Troy maybe you should leave this to me…"

"Are you sure we actually put that in there?"

"Diane you have the hospital in speed dial don't you?"

"Gee it's nice to know you have faith in me," Troy said dryly from his stove. Diane, Jack and Isabella all smiled sheepishly at the young man currently attempting to make an omelette. Per usual, it was Sunday, which meant Sunday brunch, and Diane had suggested they go to Troy's house, one because it wouldn't cost nearly as much (The Bolton men had an appetite!), and neither Diane and Jack had been to Troy's house since last year. So Troy now found himself wearing the ridiculous frilly apron from Sharpay once more as his parents criticized his egg cracking skills.

"No we're just giving you guidance," Isabella placated the young man,

"And it'll be helpful if you actually took it," Diane smirked, "Maybe we should wait for Gabriella, she may have a better…insight in this,"

"You mean she may cook something that's more edible?" Jack sniggered. The father ducked an oven mitt sent his way by his son, "Losing aim there son, you need to brush up on your aiming,"

"You shouldn't talk, you've never cooked," Troy retorted playfully before going back to the mixing bowl, where he had a whisk in the bowl filled with eggs. Now…did he or did he not add salt in yet…

"It's not like Gabriella to be late," Diane commented from her spot on the couch. Isabella and Diane sat together having a chat while Jack surfed through Troy's TV, nothing remotely interesting catching his eye,

"Maybe its just traffic," Jack shrugged,

"Maybe," Diane said slowly, but it was already half past noon, and she knew the brunette had better time management than that. Diane caught a worried look in Isabella's face, and inwardly cursed herself for making the mother worry, "Maybe Jack's right, especially with the article, she may have had a hard time getting here,"

"She should be here by now though," Isabella said in a worried voice. From the kitchen, Troy's ears had unintentionally perked up, straining to catch what the others were talking about. He heard Gabriella's name, and being late and something about traffic, but the rest were drowned by Jack's basketball game on the TV.

"_Mom's right…Gabby's usually here by now,"_ Troy thought to himself, _"But she did have a date last night…maybe it just ran late?"_ He whisked the egg even harder. Troy was pouring the egg over the heated pan when the doorbell rang. Tempted to drop everything he was doing to answer the door, he kept a firm hold of the pan while Diane went to get the door,

"Gabriella you're here!" Diane exclaimed, and Troy released the breath he didn't realize he was holding,

"Gabby, are you alright? You don't look too good," Isabella's worried voice joined in, now Troy _really_ had to keep his resolve firm. There was some shuffling around and out of the corner of his eyes, Troy saw his parents guiding Gabriella to the couch, maybe he could just leave the stove…for one second…how could a second hurt?

"Smelling good Troy," said Jack from the couch, Troy looked down, and eyes widened as he hurried to flip the egg around, he sighed in relief when it was just slightly brown and not full out burnt,

"I'll take it from here," Diane appeared beside him, smiling softly, Troy moved to protest, "Don't deny it, you know you want to be there," Diane grabbed the spatula out of his hand, carefully pouring the ingredients in to make the omelette. Troy thanked Diane, gave her a quick kiss before nearly ripping off the apron to join Isabella on the couch. When Troy finally found Gabriella's face, he winced. Gabriella looked pale and even maybe slightly green. Her eyes looked tired, and her lips turned in an upside down smile—not something that was especially becoming of her.

"Gabby?" Troy said softly, dropping down to the other side of her, Gabriella looked over, and offered him a tired smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "You look terrible,"

"I hope you know you won't get any girls with that line," Gabriella joked weakly,

"You never know, with my charm and looks," Troy replied, hoping to calm himself down from seeing her so tired and sick.

"True, true," Gabriella said quietly, "I'm fine; I'm just a little tired,"

"You look like you were up all night," Isabella said worriedly, "And your hands are cold and clammy," it took less than a second for Troy to take her other hand in his hands, and they were clammy and cold. Instinctively, Troy rubbed her hand in his.

"I didn't feel too well, don't worry I took some medicine," Gabriella assured her mom and best friend, "Aren't you supposed to be cooking?"

"If he was we won't eat until tonight," Diane said, chuckling and carrying two dishes with omelettes, adding them to the two dishes already there, "Let's get some food in you Gabriella, maybe it'll make you feel better," the company on the couch joined the female Bolton as they settled themselves around the table, Isabella next to Diane, Jack across from his wife, and Gabriella and Troy across from one another. While eating the omelette he made (Ok fine his mom made, but he made the egg!), Troy snuck a couple of glances at Gabriella, and found her picking at her eggs, her eyes eying the plate like it had done something wrong to her, or that food was the last thing on her mind,

"Brie?" Troy called softly, Gabriella looked up, "Are you alright?"

"Yea, just not hungry," Gabriella said softly, feeling the worried stare from her mom, the inquiring (and not to mention endearing) look from Troy, and puzzled looks from Jack and Diane, Gabriella cut off a piece of egg with her fork, and lifted it to her mouth.

Big mistake.

The moment her taste buds got a hold of the egg, her stomach lurched, and her fork clattered onto the plate, and she rushed off to the bathroom, slamming the door as she went. Troy immediately ran to follow, glad that he had sent Shadow off with Taylor the day before; with championships coming, Shadow was left home alone too much. Now he was glad, his and Gabriella's little puppy never did too well with loud noises,

"Brie?" Troy called, knocking softly, when he heard sounds that sounded awfully familiar to someone being sick, his knocking became more urgent, "Gabriella?" He twisted the door knob, relieved to find it unlocked. He nearly ripped the doors off its hinges, and was already in the washroom, kneeling next to the brunette when Isabella, Jack and Diane appeared in the doorway. Troy held her brown hair up, running a soothing hand up and down her back as Gabriella lost whatever she had eaten before to the toilet bowl,

"Oh mi hija!" Isabella gasped, rushing in. Troy made room for the mother, but refused to leave her side or take his hand off her back. It was relief that swept over him when Isabella did nothing of the sort, in fact she seemed to let Troy take over, hovering worriedly at the side lines instead. Troy didn't spend much time wondering about the reason the mother would entrust her daughter to her best friend, but tucked it at the back of his mind. Right now he focused on Gabriella, who had now stopped emptying her stomach, and had taken refuge on Troy's chest, her back leaning against him, her eyes closed and her breathing uneven.

"Mom can you get some water?" Troy asked, Diane nodded, hurrying to the kitchen, and returned with a cup of water. Isabella passed it down to him, who took it, and helped Gabriella to her feet gingerly. He took his hands, and held it firm against her waist as he guided her to the sink,

"Wash your mouth with it," Troy instructed gently, forgetting the fact that it was her who had taken…or rather still taking her medical degree. With shaking hands, Gabriella took hold of the cup, the water inside swishing; Troy's hand covered hers to ease the shaking, and guided it to her mouth. She took three sips and washed it through her mouth, rinsing out the not too pleasant taste, and washing over the rough feeling left behind by her unladylike actions.

"Sorry," Gabriella mumbled after regaining her breath. The group carefully led her to the living room, their breakfast quickly forgotten,

"Nonsense," Jack brushed her off in a way only he could, though almost unnoticeable worried lines creased his face, "Troy burnt his eggs anyway," Troy allowed the comment to pass,

"We're taking you to the doctors," Troy said quietly and seriously, Gabriella looked at him, really frowning this time,

"There's no need for it,"

"Brie you just threw up,"

"I just ate something bad,"

"You didn't eat anything at all!"

"Troy I can handle myself,"

"Says the person who was just on her knees throwing up, and couldn't even hold a cup of water without shaking,"

"Troy Jonathan you—what-what are you doing? Troy put me down!" Gabriella shrieked when Troy unexpectedly came up to her, and scooped her off the couch, one strong arm behind her back, and one tucked underneath her knees. She felt completely stupid; a grown woman being carried by her best friend, how ridiculous was that!

"I'm taking you to the hospital,"

"Hospital? Troy I'm not sick! I just ate something wrong I don't—" Gabriella stopped and winced when she felt a jolt of pain much like cramping from her stomach. _"That didn't help!"_ Gabriella's mind scolded her stomach. Gabriella half hoped Troy didn't feel her wince, but who was she kidding? He was carrying her for god's sake!

"See! You're not fine, not another word from you, I'll carry you all the way to the emergency room if you're going to be like this," Troy said shortly. Gabriella instead crossed her arms across her chest, looking indignant and a pouting child,

"Put me down Troy," Gabriella said seriously, turning one of her rare glares on to him. Troy paused, looking down at her with his own glare; though not as threatening nor as serious. For a moment, Gabriella thought Troy was going to listen to her. She shrieked when Troy's arms suddenly loosened, as if not strong enough to carry her. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck to prevent her fall, and was met with a smug smirk when Troy's arms secured itself around her again,

"Much better," Troy said shortly, Gabriella's mouth opened wide, gaping, not a single word coming out. She looked behind him to where Diane, Isabella and Jack stood looking amused and worried at the same time. Diane shrugged, as if saying it was out of her control, and Isabella clearly did not intend to save her daughter from Troy's capable hands anytime soon. So the brunette finally resolved to stay in his arms, fuming silently as they made their way out of his house, and towards his car. Resting her head against his chest, she had all the intention to look indignant and pout (even though she was an adult), but the dull thumping of his heart against her ear sounded like a soothing lullaby, and she drifted off to slip before Troy could unlock his car.

* * *

"Well…that was interesting," Jack commented once the door was shut.

"I hope she's alright," Diane said,

"She's in capable hands," Isabella said, quite assured that her daughter's safety was well protected, "I always knew something like this would happen,"

"Gabriella fainting?" Jack asked,

"No, Troy whisking her off with her in his arms," Isabella chuckled, Diane laughed,

"Oh I was betting on something to happen, it's time those two see it," Diane agreed,

"Why am I feeling like I'm the only one who thinks we should leave this alone?" Jack asked, seeing the devious and planning faces of his wife and family friend, Jack sighed, and sat down by his cooling omelette, "Thought so,"

"You think they're going to move here or find a new house?" Diane said thoughtfully, "Once they're married you know, they can't possibly stay in Gabriella's apartment,"

"I think they'll like it here, it's by the beach-Gabby loves that and Troy knows, plus the house is huge, they'll want their privacy," Isabella said it so seriously it was like she was reading from a facts sheet. Jack nearly chocked on his eggs.

* * *

The last thing Gabriella remembered was falling asleep in Troy's arms. Why was she in his arms…she couldn't really remember…she remembered how warm he was though…and oh that heart of his, they should really make a CD out of it…a lullaby CD, that would definitely cure any insomnia…why did she feel so tired? And why was she feeling so sore…and her stomach so empty…?

Gabriella groaned squeezing her eyes shut to rid any remaining tiredness before slowly opening them. The room was dimly lit, and the lamp from the table across from her was the only thing that provided light. The bed was smaller and harder than hers at home and the pillow was flat and squared. She wasn't even wearing her custom sleep wear (camisole and sweats), but some loose gown.

"Finally awake?" said a voice from the corner. Gabriella nearly jumped in shock, not realizing anyone was there. She slowly sat up, the thin covers falling off her body, and it was then she realized the gown she was wearing was the standardized issued gowns for all hospital patients. She shivered when she felt a draft of cold air drifting over her bare back; she hated hospital gowns. Looking up, the sight made her gulp. Troy was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his eyes glowing under his fringes and in the dark. His lips weren't smiling, but in a tight, thin worried- and maybe even a little angry- line, and the muscles in his arms were tense. For once, Gabriella actually felt afraid of him. Troy looked like he was about to say something, but the door next to him swung opened, and Rachel walked in with a clipboard,

"Well, not exactly the way I thought you'd come back to work," Rachel smiled kindly, opening the room light, dousing the room and making Gabriella close her eyes,

"You know me, love to make an entrance," Gabriella joked softly, with the light on, Troy's frowning features were even more evident to her, and Gabriella shifted her eyes away from him,

"He brought you in," Rachel added, misinterpreting Gabriella's look,

"I told him I didn't need to come in," Gabriella said quietly, ignoring Troy's tensed jaw,

"I think he did the right thing," Rachel opposed, now even her supervisor was wearing a small frown, "Gabriella you know better than this,"

"I thought I just ate something wrong," Gabriella admitted sheepishly,

"You did," Rachel said, "Do you know you can't handle raw fish? Your stomach's pretty sensitive to it," Gabriella remained silent, looking down like a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar,

"She does," Troy's eerily cool voice answered for her, Rachel nodded towards him, scribbling something down,

"We had to clean out your stomach," Rachel said, agreeing with Gabriella's wince. Being pumped from the stomach was not a pleasant experience, Gabriella was glad she was asleep, "You're free to go, but I suggest rest. Take a couple days off, get some rest and stay away from cold and raw foods, I've given you some prescription medicine to keep your stomach down and for any pain you might feel." Rachel said, scribbling on a piece of paper. She ripped it and before Gabriella could reach for it, Troy took it, and pocketed it in his jeans.

"Get some rest Gabriella, and expect paper work to be done when you get back," Rachel winked. The older doctor bade farewell and left the two alone in the room once more. Silence reigned between them, and it was heavy enough for Gabriella to begin fidgeting with the hospital covers, avoiding Troy's penetrating stare.

"What were you thinking Gabriella," came Troy's hard and blunt voice. It hit her like a thousand bricks and Gabriella winced,

"I didn't think it was that bad…"

"You _knew_ how you react with sushi, with _any_ raw food," Troy protested,

"I didn't think it would be this bad," Gabriella repeated again stronger, "I didn't think it would be this big of a deal…"

"Gabriella, you had to stay in bed for a _week_ after Zeke's surprise party three years ago after we went out for sushi, you twisted and turned all night, you went to the washroom almost every single hour, you had stomach pains and I couldn't do a single thing. You were as white as your pillow, and sweating so much we had half a mind to call the ambulance and you don't call that a big deal?" Troy's voice had grown louder and louder as each word escaped his mouth. He still remembered that day clearly. Gabriella had gotten more and more pale as the night had progressed, but didn't utter a single complaint, and Troy had been so wrapped up in being accepted into the Lakers and celebrating that he hadn't noticed her change. He still remembered her rushing to the washroom and her coming out pale and green, and nearly collapsing in his arms. He remembered sitting right next to her while she stayed in bed, curled up in a vulnerable ball, her hand around her stomach while her eyes were squeezed shut and tears prickling from the edge of her eyes.

He remembered how helpless he had felt, how ever time she winced, he had winced with her, how every tear that fell made his heart break.

"Yes I do remember!" Gabriella snapped, "If you're looking for an apology you won't get one. So I made a mistake, it's my mistake to make,"

"And do you think it might hurt the people around you?" Troy spat colder than he had intended, "Do you know how much I worry about you whenever you're in pain like that?"

"I'm not a child Troy; I don't need you to take care of me and guarding my every step! I'm 24, you're 24, and we're adults. We're not kids anymore, I need my space!" The words flew out of her mouth faster than her brain had processed. But the last word had echoed around them as if they were standing in a hollow cave. Troy suddenly seemed to had lost his voice or couldn't think of the words, but his eyes had softened to a point where it almost looked vulnerable and rejected, though the muscles in his jaw never relaxed,

"Fine," Troy said after a full minute of silence. It was said so quietly it could've been a whisper, but it was as loud as she had shouted to Gabriella, "Pack up Gabriella, I'll take you home," and with that, Troy left the room, no doubt going to fill out her prescription. Gabriella dropped her head onto her pillow, and let out a small scream. She hadn't meant to say all of that…well fine she did but she didn't mean it the way Troy must've heard it.

"_God the hurt in his eyes…"_ Gabriella thought horribly to herself. She slowly dragged herself to get ready.

* * *

After picking up her prescription and going back upstairs to get Gabriella, they headed for the parking lot in silence. Troy led her to his car and got into the drivers seat, Gabriella going in the passenger seat. The full half hour drive from the hospital to his house was done in silence. Gabriella looked out the window. It was nearing 6PM. They had been in the hospital for nearly 6 hours, and the skies were already growing dim. As she watched other cars flash by, she couldn't help but watch Troy's reflection from the window. He looked so dead serious, his jaw hadn't released its tense hold since her waking up, and his knuckles were turning slightly white from his death grip on the wheel, she was tempted to put her hand on his to ease them up.

"Did you call my mom?" Gabriella asked instead. Troy's head nodded ever so slightly, "Oh ok…" silence again… "I'm sorry I ruined our brunch," "its ok"…more silences. So when Troy's cell phone suddenly rang, Gabriella was nearly scared out of her skin,

"Hello? Sharpay? Nothing I'm just driving…she doesn't have her phone with her…how do I know? Because I'm with her right now…no we're just coming back from the hospital—no, no Shar calm down she's fine, she was just a bit sick…yea…yea she knows your fitting's this week…she has medicine she just needs to rest…yea…yea I'll have her call you back, ok bye,"

"Sharpay?" Gabriella asked, Troy nodded, "What did she want?"

"To remind you about her fitting," Troy said simply, eyes on the road again, when Troy's phone rang again, Gabriella wasn't as startled as last time,

"Hello? Anne?" Gabriella jerked up slightly hearing her name, and couldn't help but listen slightly, "No I'm not home, no it's ok it's no bother," for the first time in a while, Troy's face smiled slightly, "Well that's good to hear I'm glad you had a good time…yea I'll call you back later, ok bye," and Troy shut the phone, mumbling good naturedly to himself.

"_Another little sister…god she's just like Shar,"_ Troy thought amusedly to himself, an unknown smile flitting onto his face, and missing the slight jealous frown from Gabriella,

"My house is the other way," Gabriella said shortly, Troy glanced at her, but ignored her as he continued driving until he pulled up to his house, "Troy I want to go home,"

"You need to eat your medicine," he said, turning off his car,

"I'll eat it at home,"

"You have to eat it every 4 hours,"

"I will,"

"You need rest,"

"I will,"

"Come on; get out of the car,"

"Troy I want to go home to _my_ house," Gabriella said stubbornly, not budging from her seat. Troy stepped out of his car, walking to the passenger's side and opening the door, obviously wanting her to get out, "No,"

"Gabriella,"

"No, stop treating me like a child,"

"You're acting like one,"

"You're not giving me a choice—Troy!" Gabriella shouted angrily. Giving up with asking her politely, Troy opted for a more affective option, and had grabbed her around the waist, and placed her on his shoulder, carrying her caveman style, "Troy Jonathan Bolton you put me down right now you hear me? Troy Bolton!" Gabriella shouted all the way up his drive way and to his front door, all the while slamming her fist on his back. If it hurt him, he didn't show any signs. Instead, he marched her right into the room she had claimed as her own, and dumped her onto the bed, he could've done it more gently, yea, but he had just about enough of her trying to protest.

"I'll be back with your medicine," Troy said wryly, closing the door. Once outside, he heard her pacing up and down, grumbling angrily to herself and cursing Troy in an array of colourful language, words Troy never thought Gabriella would use. He found that oddly amusing, yet all she did was pace. A little later, he heard shuffling inside, and the sound of the closet opening which meant she was changing into more comfortable clothes. The door remained unlock, and she remained inside.

When Troy returned with her medicine tablets in a mini plastic cup and a cup of water in his other hand, Troy opened the door to find that she had fallen asleep on the bed, her face still in a frown. He placed the medication on the table next to the bed, and looked for something to cover her up, since she had decided to sleep on top of the comforter. One move and she would be awake, and would probably use the lamp next to her as a tool of destruction on him. Looking around, he caught sight of one of his jackets he had misplaced, and draped it over her petite body, looking with a sort of satisfaction seeing she had worn one of his old University t-shirts as a sleeping gown. Taking a piece of paper from the desk in the room and a pen, he hastily scribbled a note and left it on the table, and quietly left the room, where he would spend the next couple of hours pacing the house restlessly, his eyes resting on the closed doors that hid Gabriella countless times. When it reached 8 o'clock and Gabriella still hadn't woken up, Troy fixed up a quick sandwich (About the only thing he _could_ make properly Gabriella had once mentioned), and placed it next to her medicine before heading to the shower.

-

-

When Gabriella woke up again, it was well past midnight, and the house was silent. Stretching, she realized someone had draped a jacket over her-most likely Troy. When she opened her lamp, she saw a sandwich and her medication next to her with a note,

_You were asleep, so I let you sleep. Your medicine, the pink one is for your stomach, the blue one is for pain. Eat the blue one today, and if you don't have any more pain, you can stop eating them until you do. Eat the pink one every four hours…you've missed it so just take it for now._

_My car keys are here, if you want to leave you can. I'll get Chad to pick up my car. You're right; we're both grown adults, we should know to respect each other's space. I'll give you your space from now on._

_Troy_

And for some reason, this letter- out of the many letters Troy had sent her- did not make her feel any better. In fact, she felt as though a pit had been formed in her stomach, and she had a feeling that no medicine could heal that.

* * *

**A/N: Oh… things aren't going to well for our couple are they…thank you for reading! You've all been a gem. About the stomach pumping thing, I'm not sure if eating bad sushi is bad enough to warrant stomach pumping, but let's just say it is. I think pumping the stomach could possibly take longer than what I have written, I'm not sure.**


	18. Not Again

Hello everyone. Before I get this chapter started, I do have some unfortunate news. As some of you may have notices, _**Just Like Kindergarten, Taking Over, **_and _**Here's To Right Now **_is no longer on my stories list. They have been taken off by Fanfiction admin because the stories broke the guideline about writing stories about real people and real life (Even though there are tons of stories out there right now). Regardless, many people have asked me whether or not I will re-upload the stories again on Fanfiction. I **will not **be uploading these stories up again simply because I don't want them to be taken down again.

However, I WILL be uploading them onto a different story site. I no longer have _**Just Like Kindergarten and Taking Over**_ on my computer (viruses…a writer's worst enemy right after writer's block) so I don't have a way to upload them again, however I WILL upload _**Here's To Right Now**_, but not until next week at the earliest, I just need to get some things settled. I apologize for the inconvenience and I hope you will still support me and my Troyella stories here on Fanfiction.

**Vanessa's new album, **_**Identified**_, **was released in Japan on the 24****th****. The CD won't be released until July 1****st**** for us, so remember to get out there and pick up her CD and support Vanessa!**

**Vanessa is also the new cover girl for CosmoGirl Magazine and they did an interview with her. Among the interview, they mentioned her love life, to which she replied that she tries not to talk too much about it because she doesn't want to ruin their relationship. But in the middle of the photo shoot, Zac dropped by to pick her up for dinner. According to the interviewer, they greeted each other affectionately with a kiss, with Vanessa rubbing his stomach and Zac had an arm around her.**

**Production of HSM3 is expected to finish this month. Again the movie has a release date of October. Apparently, if you go watch the newest Pixar movie **_**Wall•E **_**you will be able to see a teaser trailer for the third movie.**

**Edit: **I uploaded this chapter before...but for some reason no one got the alert for the new chapter. So I'm going to re-upload it and hope for the best. For those who have read it, it's not necessary to read it again, it's the same chapter.

* * *

_Chapter 18: Not Again_

* * *

When Troy woke up the following morning, he had half readied himself for two outcomes: the first one being he would walk out his room, find Gabriella's room empty and his car gone from the driveway, then he would make a call to Chad, and spare him the details and just get him to drive by so they could go to practice together. The second one (and admittedly his favourable one) would be to find Gabriella's room door closed (and locked if be), and Gabriella would still be there, and his car would still be in his driveway thus saving him the bitter feeling he would no doubt get from seeing her gone, and saving him from the inevitable irritating conversation with Chad. When he woke up that morning, he was steeling himself to face the first outcome.

He should've known he was wrong. Gabriella always told him his probability and predicting skills were never that good.

With a fluffy, now slightly damp, towel in his hand, he was roughly drying his hair as he walked out of his room clad in a pair of baggy shorts and wife beater, and forced his blue eyes to find Gabriella's door. To his surprise (and relief) the door was shut, and when he went to look out the window, his black Audi was still parked in the driveway, the same way they had left it the night before when he had picked Gabriella up, and forced her to rest. With that specific issue now settled, Troy went about doing his normal morning duties which included glancing at his calendar to check his schedule, drinking a cup of orange juice, and trying not to burn toast. This morning, however, Troy made double of the food, pouring two cups of orange juice, made four pieces of toast, and made a sandwich that looked relatively like a normal sandwich (an exceptional outcome for someone like him he might add proudly). Troy then set out the same amount of pills Gabriella was required to take, and scribbled a little note.

As he wrote the note, he couldn't help but be reminded of the note he had left by her bed side the night before. The words were still clear in his mind, and every time he thought about it, it sent a cringe through his body. Maybe…just maybe he was a bit too harsh on her.

"_Well, she did ask for space, and you gave it to her,"_

"_But it sounds like I'm abandoning her,"_

"_You're both grown ups, learn to live on your own for a while!"_

"_I do live on my own!"_

"_Yea right you have her come pick your clothes out at least once a month,"_

"_I do not! Fine, maybe once a month, but she knows what I like and what looks good on me, how can I not ask her for help?"_

"_Then you might as well ask her to be your girlfriend, then you won't be arguing with yourself, and this whole problem would be settled,"_

"Sharpay's right," Troy mumbled to himself, shaking his head, "I've had one too many basketballs hit my head," even still, Troy couldn't help but let his eyes stray towards the Gabriella's room, he could imagine her lithe body surrounded comfortably by the bed she slept on, her brown hair strewn out behind her like a soft, silky river, her body outline only visible through the deeps and turns from the jacket he had draped over her the night before. Her eyes would be closed, hiding her eyes that was his favourite shade of chocolate brown, her dark long eyelashes outlining her oval eyes, and her pink lips opened ever so slightly, her chest going up and down, inhaling…then exhaling…then the phone rang…Shoot the phone! Snapped out of his reverie, Troy literally flew to his phone, taking it off its charger before it finished the first ring. The phone automatically opened, thus returning the silence to his house, Troy breathed a sigh of relief,

"_Good she's not awake,"_ Troy thought to himself, he inwardly cringed, thinking even this action was already breaching his promise of giving her space.

"_Hello? Troy? Anyone there?"_ a voice came from the telephone in his hand. Shaking his head, Troy answered,

"Hello? Taylor, wait it's like 8AM don't you have work?"

"_Yea, I'm at the school right now, but I need to drop Shadow off at your place this afternoon, we're having a trip so I can't really bring him along,"_

"Oh that's fine, you can drop it off anytime, you know where the spare key is," Troy answered,

"_I hardly call putting a key to a house like yours under the mat a good hiding place,"_ Taylor smirked, _"I recall Gabby giving you quite the lecture about that,"_

"Which is why I ended up giving her a spare key, so she won't know I still kept it there," Troy said with a smile, how could he not have a smile on his face when he thought of one of the many ridiculous arguments he had with Gabriella?

"_Well I have to go; I'll drop by on my lunch break, thanks Troy,"_

"No I should thank you, you took care of him, drop him off anytime, I'm off, I have practice,"

"_Which reminds me, I need to wake Chad up, see you later Troy,"_ and Taylor hung up. Chuckling to himself at the mental image of Taylor pouring a bucket of cold water over his friend's head to wake him up, Troy walked back into his room, and shrugged a loose grey t-shirt over his white wife beater, and picked up his basketball bag that held his essentials. When he came out, Troy couldn't resist opening Gabriella's door. Her peaceful breathing filled the room, and Troy couldn't help but smile. His smile dimmed slightly when his eyes fell on the empty plate and half empty cup of water beside the note, and he gently shut the door. From there, he made a call to Chad (who had been woken up by Taylor) and asked him to come pick him up. It was a good thing Chad just woke up, because his bushy haired team mate and friend didn't ask for an explanation, but only replied with a grumpy 'yes' and a few not so wisely chosen words—but what could Troy say? He wasn't the closest person to being a right ray of sunshine in the morning either.

* * *

It took another hour after Troy left the house for Gabriella to finally wake up. Still half unconscious, Gabriella groaned, digging her head into a pillow softer than her own, and stretching on a bed that was bigger than her own, still it wasn't all too unfamiliar. She recognized the bed at Troy's house just as easily as she would recognize her own bed, thanks to the number of times she stayed over. Instinctively, she strained her ears to catch some sort of activity outside the room, be it Troy taking his usual morning shower, or the clattering of pots and pans that muffled the sound of the TV. Gabriella began to wake up a little faster when she heard none of the excess noise.

"_Ugh…I over slept…"_ Gabriella groaned. She could always tell, every time she over slept, her body felt even more tired, such were the disadvantages of sleeping in such a comfortable bed. Shifting slowly around her bed, her eyes landed on the empty plate and half empty cup next to a piece of paper, and she frowned, Troy's letter rushing back to her. Slowly sitting up, a jacket she never realized was over her fell off,

"I didn't—Troy…" Gabriella said softly, running her hand down the jacket. It was so like him to leave something in every single room of his house. Stepping off the bed, Troy's old t-shirt fell down to her knees, and she padded out of the room to an empty house and a plate of sandwich which contained another note. Remembering the note in her room, Gabriella was hesitant to read another one, but gathered her courage,

_I have practice this morning. Car will still be on the driveway if you want to go home. Medicine is on the table, take it every 4 hours. Taylor will be dropping Shadow off, you don't have to stay if you don't want to._

Gabriella painfully realized that there wasn't any mention of the usual slew of nicknames he would call her, or the reprimanding he usually gave when she did something stupid (rare but it still happens), there wasn't even a standard 'Get well soon'. Gabriella could only take comfort in the fact that he had taken the time to write her the note, and prepared her breakfast, although she was finding even _that_ comfort wasn't so comforting anymore. As she took the plate of sandwich and juice, and curled her feet beneath her as she settled herself on his couch, Gabriella forced herself to think through everything that had happened, trying to bring her logical side to assess the matter. She frowned when she couldn't.

"_Why did I have to go saying that? He was just caring for me, and since when have I thought him caring for me was a bad thing?"_ she thought to herself,

"_How about when you started blushing around him?"_

"_I did not blush around him!"_

"_Right, or how about the time he kissed you, and you kissed him back?_

"_That-That was just a mistake, we were confused, he was probably confused…thought I was someone else,"_

"_Right and I'm sure you thought he was Alex too,"_ Gabriella cringed. Alex. It brought back the sushi date they had barely two nights ago, which led to her being sent to the hospital and ultimately to her argument with Troy. Deciding to distract herself, Gabriella busied herself with Troy's large TV. While biting into her sandwich, she flipped through the random channels, unconsciously smiling when she had to flip through at least 15 different sports channel (be it cable or satellite) until she caught a familiar face on a certain channel. Troy's picture (probably taken during a rather formal press conference) was up on screen, and someone was speaking over it, Gabriella turned on the volume.

"—_**basketball super star Troy Bolton. Of course this talented 24 year old is playing for the LA Lakers and is favourite for many to being the one to bring home the cup. As interesting as his basketball life may be, Troy seems to be quite successful in keeping his private life under wraps until recently when pictures of him and a brunette woman surfaced on magazines—" **_

"_Oh no…"_ Gabriella's eyes widened.

"_**Recently single, Troy Bolton was spotted with his childhood friend,"**_ the show then did a slide show pictures Gabriella could only find in her high school yearbook. Most of the pictures were taken off the school website (why they would keep those particular pictures of that particular musical, Gabriella didn't even want to know), _**"Troy has been dating other people before and have brought them to certain public events, but when we compare these pictures, it brings the question exactly **_who_** Troy Bolton is closer to,"**_ to Gabriella's horror, a picture of Troy and Melanie (taken while they were still dating) appeared beside a picture of her and Troy during their musical. Gabriella only vaguely heard the reporter saying something about the picture was taken while Troy and Melanie had been going out for 4 months, and even though Gabriella struggled to deny it and tried not to notice it, she couldn't help but notice the distinct body language between the two pictures.

While Troy and Melanie both had a smile on their face, years of experience told Gabriella that Troy was simply smiling for the sake of smiling, he didn't quite enjoy the limelight as much as Sharpay would've should she have been in his spot. What caught her by surprise, though, was the distance between them. Troy had an arm around Melanie's waist, and though Melanie had leaned towards him on pure instinct, Troy remained straight, an obvious distance between them. Gabriella's eyes strayed to the picture of Troy and herself. They were in costume, doing the final scene in the musical, a flow-y periwinkle dress on her, and a dashing looking suit on him. They had taken this picture for their cast and crew wall.

While not necessarily squished together, Troy had placed a comfortable arm around her waist, his slightly landing on her stomach. Gabriella had leaned into him, and with heels, had fitted her brunette head into the crook of his neck, and Troy had leaned his head on her head. There was no space between them.

Did they always take picture like that?

Gabriella closed the television, not too keen on hearing the reporter's opinion of the pictures. Sitting there, alone, in Troy's house, in his shirt, Gabriella frowned as she began to analyze her relationship with Troy. Was it really what people kept telling them? Did they really act like a couple? Gabriella never found it odd that Troy was the first person on her mind, never found it odd when she found comfort in him when she couldn't find it in her mom. She never looked at it as a weird gesture when Troy would automatically put his arms around her, or kiss her on the top of her head or the tip of her nose. She didn't consider it flirting when she would poke him in his abs and boldly declared it rock hard. To her, it was just everyday life, something assimilated into her as a daily ritual, nothing out of the ordinary and something she relied on to keep her comfortable.

When the door handle suddenly shook, Gabriella was nearly shocked out of her skin. Looking at the clock on the wall, it only read 10:30am, and Troy shouldn't be finished practice until late in the afternoon. Walking to the door, she peered into the peephole and opened it,

"Taylor—Shadow!" Gabriella laughed joyfully when the little black dog jumped up at her, pulling the leash out of Taylor's hand and into Gabriella's arms. Shadow joyfully licked Gabriella, glad to see his mommy again, "Aw Shadow I missed you!"

"Looks like he missed you too," Taylor chuckled, placing the spare key she had tried to use on a nearby table,

"Hey Tay," Gabriella grinned, "Where'd you get the key?"

"Troy's spare one, under the mat. I told him you'd kill him if you found out," Taylor smirked. The attentive African American took a quick scan of Gabriella, "Just woke up I see?" Gabriella blushed, one arm around Shadow and one pulling down the long t-shirt,

"I spent the night," Gabriella offered uselessly. Shadow barked in agreement and Gabriella giggled, putting him down and releasing him from his leash. Shadow barked happily, thanking Gabriella and set off running around the house. His little claws scratched against the hardwood floor as he ran around rooms sniffing before dashing back, and heading to his food bowl. "Don't you have work?"

"I'm on prep," Taylor shrugged, "Plus the kids really enjoyed Shadow but I really couldn't bring him again, they'd never let him leave," Taylor took her seat on the sofa, joined by Gabriella soon after. Taylor studied her best friend, Gabriella didn't look to different except for the fact that she wasn't smiling, and she was chewing the inside of her lip the same way she would in high school when she was nervous or was hiding something. Taylor thought she'd give Gabriella time to finally tell her, but when five minutes passed in silence, and Gabriella made no motion to spill, and only took fleeting glances at Shadow, who-happy to be back home- had snuck into Troy's opened room and was probably working his way to get on the bed somehow.

"Ok Gabby, spill, what's wrong?" Taylor finally asked, crossing her arms. Gabriella inwardly cursed at the woman's perceptiveness,

"Nothing's wrong," Gabriella said unconvincingly,

"Don't you lie to me Gabriella Erin Maria. We've known each other since high school, I know it's not as long as Troy, but I still know. What's wrong? You're hiding something,"

"It's…it's nothing,"

"Did you talk to Troy about it?"

"No…I can't…not about this,"

"So this has something to do with him then," Taylor deduced smartly, "What'd he do again? It's not like he kissed you or anything," When Gabriella stayed silent, and went as far as avoiding Taylor's eyes, she realized she had hit something. Trying to keep the excited tone out of her voice, Taylor tried again, "Wait…did he kiss you?"

Nod.

"And? Did you kiss him back?"

Another Nod. Then silence…

"Oh my god Gabby I'm so happy for you!" Taylor shrieked. Inside Troy's room there was a quick whine followed by an annoyed bark.

"No, no this isn't good!" Gabriella protested, "I shouldn't have kissed him! We shouldn't have kissed at all! He's my best friend Taylor, he's almost like my brother, you don't kiss your brother and enjoy it!"

"Correction, he's _almost_ like your brother. Chad, Zeke and Jason are your friends too, do you feel like kissing them?" at Gabriella's pulled face, Taylor nodded, "See, exactly my point. Gabby, wake up, you can't deny that you feel something different for Troy,"

"We've been together for 19 years, of course I would feel different, I'd be crazy not too," Gabriella reasoned,

"Exactly, I mean besides his parents, who knows him better? You do."

"No…no Taylor you don't understand. I…I can't like him like that…I promised myself I wouldn't. I told him we needed space…and he said he'd give it to me. I think we really need that…"

"You can't like him or you won't?" Taylor asked, raising her eyebrow, "Gabby, you're a smart girl, and you're my best friend, but there's a difference between not wanting to like him and not letting yourself like him,"

"I just…I just can't like him," Gabriella sighed heavily, her eyes down cast. Taylor observed her friend once more, Gabriella was hiding something, and it had nothing to do with their kiss. Looking at the time Taylor stood up,

"Look Gabs, I have to go, but think about it will you? Really think about it, and maybe you'll see what Sharpay and I have been talking about for the last few years aren't as ridiculous as you and Troy think of them," Taylor gave Gabriella a reassuring hug, before leaving the house, and left Gabriella alone once more. Gabriella closed her eyes,

"No…I can't like him like that…not again…" Gabriella whispered to herself. Shadow approached her after trying (and failing) to gain access to Troy's bed. The little puppy barked softly, and jumped into her lap, snuggling in with her. Gabriella gently brushed Shadow's black fur, "Not again…"

* * *

_Buzz—_

The buzzer went off, following by the angered screech from the whistle in the coach's mouth.

"Bolton, bench, _now_." The coach ordered angrily. Troy groaned to himself, dumping his basketball aside, passing Chad along the way. He flopped himself onto the bench, and rested his forehead in his hands, "What the hell is going on Bolton? We're days away from the championships, and now you decide to stink all of a sudden?"

"No coach…"

"What is going on? You haven't scored a single basket the entire practice,"

"Nothing coach…"

"Like hell it's nothing! You're out of the next warm up game, get your head straight Bolton!" and the coach stalked off with a storm cloud over his head. Chad dropped next to his friend,

"What's up man? You're out of it," Chad whispered, Troy shook his head,

"Nothing…I just didn't get enough sleep last night," Ha! That was a lie; it was more like Troy didn't get any sleep at all. Whenever he closed his eyes, his mind would wonder to the occupied guest room in his house, and then all he could think about was the argument in the hospital, the note her had written…the kiss they had shared. For once, Troy's mind began to over analyze every single detail of their relationship (once he and Gabriella were on speaking terms he would have to accuse her for causing him to over analyze _anything_). Suddenly, simply actions he would do without thinking, like kissing her nose or head, or giving her a hug for no reason, or the fact that he liked having her body snug against his became blaring warning bells in his mind, and he realized that was not what normal friends would do.

"Are you sure man? You're not sick or anything or you?" Chad asked, "Gabby would kill you if you got sick over a basketball practice," Troy winced. Gabriella. The core of his problems…his epitome of everything he considered beautiful and perfect in the world. Talk about irony.

"I'm good…don't worry, get back to warm up, we have a championship to win," Troy smiled encouragingly to Chad. Chad only nodded, standing up,

"Don't think I forgot, I'm demanding an explanation on why you needed a ride this morning. Taylor expects a full report," and Chad ran to join the team once more. Sitting alone, Troy rubbed his temple, his mind buzzing.

"_Maybe Gabriella is right…maybe we do need some space between us,"_ Troy thought to himself, it wouldn't be the first time she was right. He forced himself to realize, there was a thin line between a relationship with a close friend, and a relationship to someone he held strong feelings for. And even though Troy knew that Gabriella had always fallen towards the category of 'strong feelings', Troy had never allowed himself to admit, because of all things he could handle, there was one thing he could _not_ handle. And that was Gabriella, who was his miracle and his curse. He shouldn't…he couldn't like her. No…he couldn't…not again.

* * *

**A/N: I have a half/half feeling with this chapter. I guess we could call this a filler/turning point for Gabriella and Troy. For all those concerned, I know it's taking FOREVER for me to get those two together, but when you think about it, the entire story was basically is about them being together… just not officially and they're denying it. Again thank you for reading, and review!**


	19. Nothing More Interlude

Summer holidays are officially here!! I hope everyone is enjoying their two months off school, I know I am! I apologize if the story seems to be going slightly on the slow side; I've been behind on my writing recently so I've been pretty sluggish.

**High School Musical 3 has officially been wrapped! The movie is set for an October 24th release, so mark that month down! Let's make it a box office hit!**

**Vanessa has always released her sophomore album 'Identified'. It sounds amazing; you seriously need to get a copy! If you're expecting sounds like her previous album 'V' you're in for a surprise. Here's a fun fact: Vanessa actually released her album earlier in Japan, and the Japan version has 3 bonus songs: "Committed" "Set it off" (I think it's called that) and "Vulnerable". Go support Vanessa and purchase her album today!**

**Apparently, the entire cast of HSM will be going on vacation **_**together**_** soon since filming is over (According to Vanessa). No idea where they're going but I think it's sweet. HSM3 will be the **_**last**_** HSM related movie and it will probably be the last time the entire cast will be in a movie together as a cast. HSM4 is in the talks and most likely in works but chances are, it will not feature any of the original casts. **

**Vanessa is now the new face for Sears clothing! She shot 5 different commercials in a musical type of commercial wearing all Sears's clothes. You can check out the behind the scenes on youtube.**

* * *

_Chapter 19: Nothing more (Interlude)_

* * *

_**Flashback - Albuquerque **_

_Diane Bolton tugged the apron around her waist a little tighter. Having just gotten home from her job at the hospital (She was granted a temporary early leave to take care of her too-energetic-for-his-own-good son) when she heard the distant screeching of the yellow bus. Grinning to herself, and putting the tray of freshly baked cookies on the cooling rack, Diane pulled her red and white chequered oven mitts off, calmly walking to the front door to open it in time for two little blurs to rush in. Laughing, Diane closed the door, following the energetic tykes to the living room._

_Her own son, Troy Bolton (who was now a 8 year old ball of bouncing energy) had his blue back pack dropped on the floor, and his red and black jacket covering half of his abandoned backpack. Beside him were his best friend and a young girl Diane had helped deliver. Little Gabriella Montez (7 turning 8 this Christmas) had her shoulder length brown curls half tied, and dressed in a cute little pink t-shirt and baby blue jeans, had neatly placed her lavender backpack off to the side, and had pulled her white jacket off and piled it neatly next to her bag._

"_Troy Jonathan Bolton, for goodness sakes stop for one second," Diane ordered semi-sternly. Troy stopped bouncing on the couch, and carefully climbed down, his shaggy brown hair overshadowing his adorable blue eyes. His face was split in a sheepish grin,_

"_Yes mommy?" he asked innocently, putting his hands behind his back,_

"_It wouldn't hurt to be like Gabriella for once, and not leave your bag everywhere," Diane chided softly, adding a soft smile to the young girl's direction. Gabriella blushed under the praise,_

"_Be like Gabby?" Troy asked while dragging himself to his backpack and heaving it up along with his coat, "I dun wanna wear a dress though," Gabriella giggled, covering her mouth with her tiny hands, and even Troy cracked a smile. Diane shook her head,_

"_No joking around mister, and I better not see that bag of yours down here after dinner," Diane said though her eyes twinkled merrily, "Gabriella, sweetheart, how was school?"_

"_Good Mrs Bolton," Gabriella answered shyly, "Thank you for letting me stay, mami told me to tell you she ap-appre-umm appriate it." Gabriella scrunched up her face in an adorable concentration look as she struggled to pronounce the word,_

"_Appreciate?" Diane smiled, helping her out, "Tell her it's my pleasure, it'll help my mind to have some sort of normal and non-hyper presence in the house, won't it Troy?" Diane smirked, ruffling her son's hair._

"_Moooommmm!" Troy grumbled, shying from her touch and shaking his head, "C'mon Gabby, let's go upstairs! Daddy got me a new basketball, we can go throw it around in the yard!" said the boy excitedly. Diane knew Gabriella wasn't much of a sports person, but the little brunette-seeing how excited her friend was-nodded in agreement,_

"'_Kay," said Gabriella softly, Troy excitedly dashed up the stairs where his room door was swung opened, followed by the sound of toys being thrown around, "Excuse me Mrs Bolton," Gabriella addressed the older woman politely. The little girl climbed up the stairs with more grace than Troy had, and waited patiently for Troy to realize his orange basketball had rolled out the door during his frenzied search. Diane could only chuckle as she watched amusedly. For a 7 year old girl, Gabriella had more patience than a grown adult with Troy. Diane found herself growing fond of the young brunette; after all she was one of the rare ones who didn't whine about boys having cooties. _

_Minutes later, Troy, with his newly found basketball, dashed down the stairs with Gabriella's hand tucked safely in his,_

"_We'll be in the backyard!" Troy called from his shoulder. Diane nodded,_

"_Alright but don't get too dirty, your dad's going to be home soon, and then we'll start dinner and if you behave you can have cookies after," Diane said. Troy whooped in the distant from the prospect of having cookies. Assured that the gate to the backyard was locked and the kids couldn't climb or head anywhere out of her sight, Diane resumed her cooking, occasionally glancing up to see Troy standing behind Gabriella, and covering her hand with his to teach her how to properly throw a basketball. When Jack Bolton came home an hour later, Gabriella had some what managed to dribble and throw the ball, and the little tykes were trying their hands at one-on-one games. Diane was quite amused to see that her competitive son was actually allowing Gabriella to win._

_At dinner, the three Bolton's plus Gabriella sat around the rectangular table, a plate of spaghetti in front of them, and a basket of garlic bread in the middle. In true, male Bolton fashion, Jack and Troy had dug themselves in as soon as every had arrived (albeit Troy's fork was rounded for safety and had little pictures of Bob the Builder on it). Gabriella delicately rolled the noodles around her white fork, eating the food while glancing up at her best friend who looked like he hadn't eaten in days. _

"_Jack, Troy please, try to act politely when we have guests," Diane sighed,_

"_Gabby's not a guest Mommy," Troy stated bluntly. Even Diane had to smirk; the little brunette was more like an extended family member than a guest. Gabriella blushed,_

"_It's ok Mrs Bolton, Troy eats like that at school so I'm use to it," Gabriella said softly,_

"_Ah a young girl who understands the Bolton way of eating," Jack laughed, "It took Diane months to get it,"_

"_Besides, I don't eat as fast as Mrs. Andrew's baby," Troy said, "Mrs Andrew brought in her baby today, it was so small but it ate faster than me!"_

"_Oh really? Well babies need their food, just like you need a napkin Troy," Diane said, taking up a napkin and wiping Troy's tomato sauce covered face,_

"_But the baby's so small," Gabriella said in a curious voice,_

"_All babies are small, you two were that small before, I remember you may be even smaller Gabriella," Diane smiled at the two young children, Troy looked at Diane like she had said something completely ridiculous like Gabriella wasn't his best friend. Gabriella had a curious and thoughtful look on her face,_

"_Wait… but then where do babies come from?" Troy asked bluntly. Suddenly, Diane and Jack lost their appetite (which was quite a big deal considering Jack had placed his fork down before Diane). The 7and 8 year old looked at Diane and Jack, innocent and naive curiosity pulling at their faces. Diane coughed,_

"_Well…well…when two people like each other very much…they can have a baby," Diane said in the simplest terms as she could._

"_Oh!" Troy exclaimed, "So me and Gabby can have a baby? Because I really do like Gabby very much, we're best friends," Troy beamed and Gabriella beamed at him. Jack, who was drinking his cup of water to calm himself down, chocked-literally- into his cup, which drew the attention of the table. Diane busied herself patting her husband's back and Gabriella turned to look at the older man worriedly and so the subject was dropped. But Troy had to admit, he did like Gabriella very, very much. After all, they were best friends._

_-_

_-_

_**Senior Year – East High**_

"_So I was just trying to explain things to her you know, just try to explain how important that practice was, but then she goes and blows up on me! How am I supposed to know it was our anniversary or whatever you call it right Troy—Troy?" Chad stopped his avalanche of complaints for a moment when he realized his best friend and captain was no longer walking beside him, like he was 2 seconds ago. Chad caught Troy ducked behind the water fountain, "Uh…dude what are you doing?"_

"_Shh—get back here!" Troy yanked harshly on Chad's arm, the bushy haired athlete let out an embarrassingly loud yelp, causing a group of blondes to look over. Chad only grinned sheepishly ruffled his curls and bent down in the pretence of getting a drink._

"_What was that for?" Chad grumbled angrily, Troy squinted down even further, so that only his blue eyes were visible behind the silver fountain,_

"_Th-Those girls have been at my locker for the entire _day_! Darbus almost gave me detention twice for being late to her class," Troy hissed quietly, his eyes focused on the crowd of girls that had yet to remove themselves from Troy's locker, Chad actually chuckled in amusement, "Chad that is not a laughing matter!"_

"_Man, for one thing, Darbus would never give you detention now, her musical was crazy successful and it's prom tonight, no way she'll be willing to spend the last day of school monitoring you when she can plan her next glorious musicale," Chad wiggled his fingers to dramatize the way their drama teacher would say the last word._

"_I had to hide in _washrooms_ for half the day!" Troy growled in annoyance, "Man do me a favour, get them out of the way, I have books to get!" Chad, still greatly amused by his captain's antics could only mock salute him before marching over to the locker, in a loud, gallant voice, Chad said,_

"_Hello ladies," the girls looked over; some of them had hope in their eyes but quickly vanished when it was not the basketball captain but his best friend that greeted them. Luckily for Chad, his ego helped him sustain any sort of wound to his pride (plus the fact that Taylor would have his head if she caught him), "So who are you waiting for?"_

"_Troy," said one particularly outward blonde, flicking her hair over her shoulders, "He hasn't gotten a date for prom yet…has he?" the blonde narrowed her cerulean blue eyes on the athlete. Chad, having sustained glares far worse (picture Taylor in the middle of preparing the Scholastic Decathlon when a basketball knocked her coffee cup and pilled the coffee over her notes—uh not that Chad had experience of course), only smiled,_

"_Well, Troy usually has science last period at the other side of the school,"_

"_Wait I thought he had a spare this period," said another girl, Chad didn't know whether or not to laugh out loud because the girl knew Troy's schedule, or feel slightly freaked out because the girl knew Troy's schedule,_

"_Uh, time table change, last minute to…uh pull his marks up," Chad invented on the spot. The group of girls didn't spare a moment to think, as they stampeded down the opposite way, no doubt planning to search every science class, "Ok dude, coast's clear," Troy's full body appeared from behind the fountain, and sighed in relief,_

"_Thanks man, I owe you big time," Troy said, twirling his combination to his locker and picking out some books. _

"_But really dude…who are you taking to prom?" Chad asked, he highly doubted that the basketball captain lacked date offers—if the group of girls just now were any indication. Troy shrugged,_

"_No idea, it's not that big of a deal to go alone is it?" Troy said nonchalantly. Of course Troy Bolton had an idea of who he _wanted_ to take. It was a matter of _how_ he was going to ask without making things awkward. Prom was _the_ dance of the year…at least for the seniors. It was their last year as high school students, and their last year to do something without the heavy responsibilities and expectations of university…it was also the last time Troy would get to go to a dance with his best friend while they were still in the same school…because after that, Troy had to deal with the fact that they were going to different universities, and it wasn't an idea that appealed greatly to him._

"_You know…you could just ask her," Chad interrupted his thought with uncanny attentiveness. Taylor must be rubbing off of him…or maybe he was just that transparent, "You know I never understood why you two aren't together. If you could date the head cheerleader why can you date our Gabby, your friend for 14 years?" _

"_She's my best friend, what are you talking about?" Troy shrugged it off like it was any other subject; something he could careless about. He couldn't be more wrong. When it came to Gabriella Montez, anything that happened to her was significant to him, anything that happened to her affected Troy whether he wanted it to or not. Maybe it wouldn't be so weird that he took his best friend to prom. Troy really couldn't see himself taking anyone else, and he couldn't help but imagine what dress Gabriella would wear, although his mind could never generate too ugly of an image of Gabriella in a dress._

_Maybe…just maybe with asking Gabriella to prom, Troy could finally calm down the flutter in his heart every time someone said her name._

_-_

_-_

"_Bye Gabriella!" waved the younger student. Gabriella grinned, and waved good bye to the grinning grade 10. With exams looming closer, Gabriella had her lunch and after school booked with study sessions with the younger grade. Being the organized person she was she had made up schedule for her day according to study plans. She would go to school, go to class, take notes, spend lunch and breaks with the younger students, and try to meet up with the gang as much as she could. Then at 4, after her after school study session, she would go home and spend the next two hours on homework and note review._

_Of course once the time reached 5, she could usually expect a call from Troy, or Troy himself at her house after a gruelling basketball practice. Should he appear at her house, he would then allow himself in, give a polite hello to her mom (if she was here), and then promptly fall onto her bed as soon as they reached her room with his slew of usual non-serious cursing of the man who invented his favourite sport. Gabriella would then proceed to lightly scold him before the best friends fell into a comfortable conversation._

_Thus was the daily life of Gabriella Montez. Even Gabriella had to smile at the thought of her best friend. It hardly felt like 14 years since they first met, and now every memory had Troy in it, and Gabriella couldn't imagine her life without him. With a blush, she also had to remind herself (without much trouble) that the physical difference between her 5 year old best friend, and 18 year old best friend was startling. She was slightly embarrassed (and shamed) to admit that there were times she was close to giggling like the girls around the school when they set their eyes on Troy. She also had to admit that she felt the good old jealous green monster rising in her gut whenever other girls _did_ look at him like that. Sometimes, she would imagine and sometimes wonder if Troy ever looked at her like that, but the thought was immediately banished after,_

"Like Troy would see you as anything else, you're his best friend, best keep it that way," _her logical mid chided. Even though…it wouldn't hurt if she asked him to prom…would it? Surely Troy wouldn't laugh at her; maybe he'd give her that annoyingly smug look of his, but never laugh. Troy was sensitive and caring that way. _

_Maybe…with her asking Troy to prom, she could finally understand and find a logical reason to why she would blush, and feel light and breathless whenever her best friend walked around the corner._

_As it turns out, Chad's plan with distracting the group of girls didn't work out quite as well as had had thought it would. He seemed to have underestimated a girl's ability to run to the other side of the school in heels, as soon as the group realized Troy Bolton was in neither senior science class, they rushed back to his locker._

"_So when are you going to ask Gabriella?" Chad asked, still leaning beside Troy's locker. Troy shrugged, but a hopeful smile tugged at his face as he emptied out the contents of his locket save a picture of him and Gabriella when they were 5 that still hung on his locker. He carefully peeled the picture off, and slipped it into one of his binders,_

"_When I get to see her…which is in three minutes, her tutoring ended a minute ago," Troy consulted his watch, "What if she says no?" Troy hated how uncertain his voice sounded._

"_Dude, the question is what are the chances she's going to say no," Chad corrected him, "Troy, if I can get Taylor to date me, it'll be a piece of cake for Gabriella to say yes to prom with you,"_

"_True, I mean I still don't get what Taylor sees in you," Troy smirked, closing his locker, chuckling at Chad's indignant look, "I'll just ask her… it can't be that hard," Troy took a deep breath then froze, "Do…do you hear…squealing?"_

"_Yea…Yea I do…" Chad strained his ears to listen, the two best friends silenced before a look of horror flooded Troy's face, and a look of horrified amusement flooded Chad's,_

"_You don't think—but you said—shoot!" Troy hissed, Chad's reply (if he replied) was drowned by a loud squeal then the sound of stampeding heels as a swarm of girls surrounded him. Pushed back, Chad could only laugh and offer some sort of pity at Troy's helpless face._

"_So Troy do you have a date for prom?" "Are you going to Prom?" "Who are you going to prom with?" _

"_Uh…" Troy stuttered helplessly, "Uh I really need to go and find someone…"_

"_Oh who, who? Are you asking her to prom?" asked one girl with a hint of jealousy,_

"_Uh I have to find Gabriella…"_

"_You're taking Gabriella Montez to prom?" asked one of the girls, the name falling bitterly off her lips. Troy's jaws tightened ever so slightly._

_Gabriella walked down the corridors with her books in her hand, and backpack at her side. Now if only she could find Troy…Gabriella had to smile, for someone so popular, Troy was hard to find, but he would more or less be at his locker…especially since he never cleans his locker until the last minute. Maybe she could somehow sneak in prom into their conversation, and casually ask him to go with her? Would that be too pushy? Or maybe too subtle…what if he doesn't get it at all? Then she'd have to ask him straight out and-and…is it normal for a girl to ask?_

"Gabriella you're over thinking…as usual,"_ Gabriella's mind stopped her incessant flow of thought. Sounds of excited squealing from Troy's locker made Gabriella smile drop ever so slightly and the little green monster made another appearance. As Gabriella rounded the corner, she could hardly see her best friend amidst the group of girls. Standing by the corner and only slightly hidden, Gabriella analyzed her fellow classmates. All of them were extremely beautiful, the epitome of what Prom Queen would be. Generously curved and their best features accented by the clothes they wore and the make up they applied; they were the kind of girls suitable for future famous celebrities or athletes. _

_Seeing Troy's helpless look, Gabriella readied herself to intervene when a particular question stopped her,_

"_You're taking Gabriella Montez to prom?" Gabriella froze midway, her cheeks suddenly flamed. Troy wanted to take her to prom? He never mentioned that before. Maybe asking him wouldn't be so bad after all. Biting her lip, Gabriella waited for Troy's response._

_Troy never realized how much he hated artificial girls until that very moment. While he could tolerate the fact that girls quite literally stalk him (he still manages to blush every time Sharpay brought it up), he could never really find a way to cope with the fact that there were people in the school that thought Gabriella was 'unworthy' to be his best friend. After all, what could their all-star captain see in book work Gabriella? Troy could list things about his best girl friend until he turned blue and people started throwing rotten tomatoes at him, but he would still find new things to list. There was just this sparkle, this unique beauty inside Gabriella that Troy failed to see in any other person. That was why he became so mad when Gabriella's name fell out of the girl's mouth like she had uttered the name of an insect,_

"_No, I'm not taking Gabriella Montez to prom," Troy said coldly to the group, saying her name the same way they had said it. There was a jerk of a movement that caught his eye from the corner of the corridor, but it moved so fast, Troy didn't have time to see whatever it was, but he turned his attention back to the girls, "I'm taking Gabriella Montez, my best girl friend, probably the most beautiful girl in this entire school to prom. So yes, I am going, yes I do have a date, so thank you for trying to ask, but I'm afraid you'll have to ask someone else," Troy finished. He pushed his way out of the group, leaving a group of dismayed and heart broken girls, and met Chad, who-until Troy's 'gallant' speech had been laughing so hard he was tearing up. Troy glared at him,_

"_You're dead you know that," Troy muttered before he headed off to find Gabriella._

_End of Flashback_

* * *

Gabriella jerked awake. Rubbing her eyes tiredly, she groggily looked around the living room for a clock, to realize it was 3 in the afternoon. She remembered taking her medicine at around noon, then had found their senior year yearbook, and was flipping through it on the couch when she finally dozed off. Though weird enough…she had dreamt about the day at prom.

Even when she was dreaming, Gabriella could feel the pang of hurt in her heart when she heard Troy talking to the girls while she was hidden in the corner. It hurt like nothing else, every time her heart beat it hurt, reminding her of how Troy had said her name; how he had said he wouldn't take her to prom.

"_I was stupid enough to think he would,"_ Gabriella thought to herself. When she had reached her locker, she had willed herself not to cry. Of course Troy had only thought of her as his best friend, probably one of the guys, after all compared to those girls, she looked about as good as a piece of toast. Of course Troy had taken her to prom in the end, but that was only because Jeff had been teasing her, and like the protector he was, Troy came to her rescue and (out of pity Gabriella assumed) had asked her to go to prom.

It was at the moment that Gabriella swore she would never, ever allow herself to fall for her best friend again. Until now, Gabriella had never thought exactly how deep she had fallen.

* * *

At 5PM, Chad dropped Troy off at the house, and said a brief good bye, telling him that Taylor was expecting him. Walking to his house, Troy realized his Audi was still parked, and trying to contain a small amount of hope, he opened the door to see if Gabriella was still there.

The house was eerily empty and quiet, save for the fact that Shadow was taking his nap in the dog house he had bought with Gabriella so long ago. The dog bowl was newly filled and the water bowl filled with water, and Troy knew Gabriella had did that. Checking the rooms, Troy concluded that Gabriella had left…probably to avoid facing him. The t-shirt she had been wearing was nearly folded and placed on his bed, and the jacket he had covered her with the night before was hanging on the chair by his desk. Ruffling his hair, Troy sighed as he made his way to the kitchen, where a note waited for him,

_Troy,_

_Thanks for taking care of me. Sharpay's coming to pick me up in a few minutes, I don't want to leave you stranded without your car. I hope you had a good practice and thank you for your jacket. _

_Gabriella_

So formal…it was painful to read. Troy scrunched up the letter, and dropped it in the garbage bin, taking out a can of coke to take to the living room, and flopped onto the couch when something red caught his eye. His senior year yearbook lay opened on the table, pictures of their prom spanned over three pages. Troy caught a picture of him and Gabriella slow dancing, and he shut the book.

_Flashback_

"_You're lucky to get out of their alive man," Chad chuckled,_

"_Right, not help from you," Troy rolled his eyes. His blue eyes scanned the corridors to find the brunette that so frequently occupied his thoughts,_

"_Desperate to find her?" Chad smirked, "About time, do us all a favour, and just tell her how you feel,"_

"_Have you been watching Dr. Phil?" Troy asked suspiciously. If looks could kill, Troy would've been a pile of ashes given the degree of Chad's glare,_

"_Taylor likes it," Chad said a moment later, making Troy give in to his laughter,_

"_Where is Taylor anyway?" _

"_Probably with Gabby, that's perfect! I'll drag her away and you can do your cheesy speech and we can all be happy," Chad clapped his hands determinedly. Troy rolled his eyes but smiled, if things worked out, then that might be exactly how it happened,_

"—_what do you mean not going?" Taylor's exclamation made the boys stop for a second, by the sound of it, she sounded quite angry,_

"_Oh shoot, I'm going to get my bag, just in case she's angry she'll want to leave, and I don't need her glaring at me to get my bag," Chad said quickly that half the things he said didn't even make sense to Troy. Regardless, the basketball player dashed back down the hallway as if chased by the opponent and disappeared around the corner. Troy chuckled,_

"_I mean exactly that, I don't think I'm going to go to prom," Gabriella's voice replied,_

"_Why?"_

"_Well…you're going to Chad, and Shar's going with Zeke, and I don't want to make you guys feel like you need to be with me,"_

"_Gabriella Erin Maria, is this all because you don't have a date?" silence. "Then go ask Troy! That boy can't say no to you, he has a higher chance saying no to basketball," even by her voice Troy knew Taylor was smirking, though Troy had to agree. He could rarely refuse Gabriella anything._

"_No Taylor…" Gabriella said it so quietly Troy nearly had to step out of his hiding place to hear it, _

"_Gabby, wake up, he likes you not just as a friend, just like you do," Taylor said. Troy's heart jumped, she liked him back?_

"_He doesn't…" Gabriella whispered so quietly that Troy missed it, "and I don't…like him that way. Not at all," Gabriella said it strongly. Troy shrunk back as if he was slapped. He knew it…Gabriella didn't see him any more as a brother figure, as her best friend since kindergarten, yet Troy couldn't bury the hurt the rose from inside him._

"Be a man, suck it up, and accept it,"_ His mind scolded him. He couldn't let something like this ruin their friendship…as hard as it was and as much as it killed him. He would remain her best friend, even if that was all they would ever be, even if he had to watch her date other guys (and secretly plan their murder in silence), he would stay with her. Just to maintain their closeness. _

_Troy went back the way he came, rounding to the other side of the school to make it as if he hadn't been looking for her. When he saw Jeff teasing her, he dutifully fell back into his big brother role, and when he asked her to prom (despite how much it hurt) and she had accepted, he resigned to the fact that she only saw it as going with her best friend._

_Her best friend. That was all Troy would ever be. And Troy would learn to be contend with that…because that was all he realized he would ever be to Gabriella Montez._

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was actually not planned. But a lot of you wanted to know what Troy and Gabriella meant by 'not again' as stated in the last chapter, so this chapter served to clear up the meaning. It literally comes around in a full circle (to chapter 2). To understand it more, read chapter 2 and you'll realize who Jeff is and what happened. It also serves as an interlude, a break between the angst between Gabriella and Troy. After this, we're back to the angst! This was mostly flash backs, the next chapter we'll be back with the present and then we'll see what **_**really**_** is going to happen.**


	20. The Three Stages Revised

I'm back! Sorry for inconsistent updates, I'm now working (earning money!) so my schedule's been pretty tight. I have now loaded the chapters to 'Here's to Right Now' on a separate site. The URL can be found on my profile. No new chapters have been added as of right now, but I will get back into the habit of writing for that story.

**Vanessa is resting after finishing filming HSM3, she's been quite busy going around promoting her new album. She will be going on a state fair tour this August, performing with Corbin Bleu on certain dates.**

**Disney has recently premiered the first song off the HSM3 movie, titled 'Now or Never'. It's the first song in the movie and it takes place in the middle of an East High basketball game. It sounds amazing!**

**ET online has also premiered a longer sneak peek of the trailer for HSM3. Disney has also released a special trailer for HSM3 as well. So keep your eyes out for that!**

**There have been rumours about a HSM4. Apparently, Disney is ready to make a HSM4: College Years. But don't expect the **_**entire**_** Wildcat crew. Apparently, Disney is banking on Zac and Vanessa's real life relationship. They are ready to offer them to reprise their roles as Troy and Gabriella, focusing on the characters as they enter College separately and start missing one another. They miss each other so much that at some point, they have a romantic reunion at…East High! At the moment its all speculation, neither Zac nor Vanessa has commented about agreeing.**

**Vanessa and Zac were spotted vacationing together in the Caribbean at Turks and Caicos! **_**InTouch**_** weekly had pictures of them kayaking and swimming and of course cuddling on the beach on their vacation. They were reportedly very open in their affection with one another, and were very nice to the tourists who spotted them. They are now back at L.A. happier than ever.**

A lot of people have been wondering how long this story is going to be. Well, seeing as we're on the 20th chapter now, I'm aiming the story to be around 25 chapters.

**Edit 07/18/08: I was re-reading this chapter, and the end portion of this chapter didn't sit well with me at all! So do ease my discomfort, I've done some major editing. I've only edited the _final_ portion of this chapter (for those of you who has already read it, it is Troy and Gabriella's moment in Troy's car). I like it much better now! I suggest you go and read it as it would make more sense as you continue to read on. It will also satiate many Troyella fans :D**

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 20: The three stages_

* * *

As the week approached, Gabriella returned to work, bringing relief to both herself and her supervisor. As soon as Gabriella got to her desk outside of Rachel's (her supervisor) office, and had turned on her computer, her inbox was filled with e-mails, and when Rachel returned, she had a stack of files for Gabriella to go through. Though Gabriella put up a semi-hearted complaint, the brunette couldn't help but be relieved. The work provided a type of distraction that she desperately needed. With her mind focused on reading the tiny fonts and checking medical files, it wouldn't have time to wonder onto…other things…namely 'other things' with the name Troy Bolton.

It was also the first week since she could remember that she hadn't seen or talked to Troy at all. He didn't call her, and she didn't call him. She still had his house key, but always manipulated her visits so that he was out of the house at the time, and she would spend a few hours with Shadow, be it taking a walk, or just playing around the house. Gabriella knew Troy knew every time she had been at his house. Shadow's bowl would always be filled with food and water and even though things were strained between them, Gabriella still couldn't get rid of the habit of cleaning around Troy's house, and so, Troy would come home later that evening to find the clothes he had strewn around his room neatly folded on his bed, the magazines piled neatly and (not that Gabriella knew) a hint of strawberry and lavender that indicated Gabriella's recent presence.

It was a gloomy Wednesday afternoon that Gabriella, Kelsi, Taylor and Sharpay found themselves in a wedding gown shop. While the grey clouds outside looked heavy and threatened to rain, nothing could cloud the energetic blonde as she stormed every single shop she knew that held designer brands. According to Kelsi and Taylor, Sharpay had already dragged Zeke, Chad, Jason, Ryan and Troy to do their tux and suit fitting. By the end of that day, the boys were ready to burn every single black and white cloth they saw.

"Of course it didn't help that Zeke said ok to all the suits he tried," Kelsi giggled,

"He made quite a hole for himself when he accidentally fell asleep in the chair," Taylor added, making Gabriella laugh, "But in his defence, he had been in that shop for about two hours and managed to try out half of their selection,"

"Ok, what about this one?" Sharpay came out of the dressing room once more, drawing the attention of Gabriella, Kelsi and Taylor. The blonde's shoulder length hair was straightened this morning (because straighter hair is always easier to make into intricate designs than curly), hanging to the middle of her back. The pearly white dress hug off the blonde's shoulder, the long, silky sleeves draping down her arm and reaching her hands, a loop curling around her middle finger. The top part hugged her chest and delicate waist neatly, and flared out gently by the waist, leaving a trail of white silk. Every time the blonde turned, the crystals adorning the skirt part glittered in the light,

"Shar it's gorgeous," Taylor breathed, gently running her hand down the skirt,

"Really?" Sharpay asked earnestly, examining herself in the three mirrors positioned in front of her, allowing the blonde to examine herself at every angle.

"It's beautiful, Zeke's going to have a hard time getting his lines right," Kelsi laughed. Sharpay smiled,

"He better not," the blonde said with glittering brown eyes. She turned around, the back of the dress landing half way. A small frown adorned her face,

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked, Sharpay shrugged,

"It's a nice dress…but it's not…the one you know?" Sharpay said, tugging gently, "It's my wedding, I want it to be…special…it's the dress,"

"I know," Gabriella smiled softly, she brushed a few side blonde side bangs off the side of Sharpay's face in motherly affection, "How about this, you save this one and try on one more, I know you like this one, but lets see if we can find another one, then you can pick between the two,"

"Ok!" Sharpay grinned, carefully hopping off the raised circular stage to get another dress on. Gabriella resumed her seat, picking up the magazine she had abandoned a few minutes ago. When a couple of pictures of a LA Lakers game showed up, she discarded the magazine aside, and closed her eyes.

"Gabby," Taylor shook Gabriella's shoulder, and she looked up to see Sharpay enter once more. Judging by the dropped mouths from Kelsi, Taylor; they knew that was the dress.

Following Sharpay's success, it was the three girls' turn to endure the long process of trial and errors of dress trying. Since Sharpay wanted the wedding to be absolutely perfect, the blonde had personally decided upon every single detail of the wedding, from the invitees, the place, the food, the theme to which flower would go where, and how many petals would decorate the floor. Since Zeke and Sharpay's wedding was to take place in early June, and it was now currently mid May, Sharpay had taken decisive action, taking a screeching hold on her Broadway career to focus all her attention on what was to be the best day of her life. The blonde quickly decided upon a beach themed wedding, which meant that the wedding would be taking place, literally, on a beach (as soon as Sharpay could decide on one).

Because of the theme, Sharpay was determined to dress her bride's maid (or in Gabriella's case, her Maid of Honour) accordingly. Kelsi and Taylor were up first, since all they had to do with pick a style the both of them plus Sharpay was content with. Unfortunately it was easier said than done. Three hours later, ten different styles tried on in fourteen different colours, Sharpay finally decided on a teal green strapless, knee length dress. The blonde then spent another half an hour looking for long beaded necklaces that Kelsi and Taylor would wear.

"Gabby!" Sharpay called once Taylor and Kelsi were wearing their own clothes once more ("I never thought I'd appreciate jeans this much," Taylor sighed). Gabriella tried to avoid flinching as she stood to receive Sharpay's 'special' treatment.

"Really, Shar, I'm fine with anything you give me," Gabriella tried weakly, putting her hands up in defence,

"Well I guess, I _did_ pick out that dress you wore to prom," Sharpay said thoughtfully,

"But if she doesn't actually try it on, it might not fit the theme," Kelsi interrupted as innocently as possible,

"That's right!" Sharpay clapped her hands together determinedly, "No backing out Montez, now I've got about eight different styles in there, but they told me they're looking for more, once we've got the style we can look at the colour, we'd want you to match the bride's maids of course but it has to be slightly different since you are the Maid of Honour…" Sharpay's voice got lost in Gabriella's ear as the brunette turned around, and glared evilly at her two friends who were obviously enjoying themselves now that they were finished being in Gabriella's currently position,

"Have fun," Taylor mouthed, winking,

"I hate you both," Gabriella mouthed back,

"…right Gabby?" Sharpay stopped, turning to Gabriella for her answer. Gabriella's head whipped back around,

"Uh right of course!" Gabriella said quickly. Sharpay beamed happily, clapping her hands, making Gabriella fear what she had just agreed too,

"I knew you would agree, so I sent ahead and asked for eight more different types of dresses,"

"Great…" Gabriella sighed. It was going to be a long day. After three more hours in the store, the four girls left to find the nearest Starbucks to settle themselves in. As Gabriella thought back, even she felt contend with the dress that they finally settled on. She forced herself to try to avoid picturing how nice the dress might look with Troy's suit.

* * *

"So I've got about seven different places narrowed down for the banquet after the wedding, I'm waiting for Zeke to decide but he's so determined to cook for the wedding," Sharpay rolled her eyes, though the others could see she was clearly delighted at the prospect of the upcoming union, "I told him no one cooks at their own wedding!"

"That's Zeke," Taylor chuckled, drinking her cold peach smoothie, "Telling him not to cook is like telling Chad not to play basketball,"

"Or telling Troy not to call Gabby," Kelsi added giggling. At Troy's name, Gabriella shifted her eyes from the window to the group beside her,

"Aw look at you, we only said his name, you'd think he was actually here," Sharpay smirked. Gabriella winced softly, and offered a timid smile,

"Speaking of basketball boy, your phone hasn't ringed for the entire morning," Taylor said, "Did you finally limit him to five calls a day only?"

"Or is something wrong?" Kelsi ventured delicately, always the one to gently approach things rather than the hard on, blunt questioning that Sharpay seemed to favour. At Kelsi gentle face, Gabriella smiled, and regretted having not spent more time with the auburn haired musician. The girl had pulled through for them more than once,

"I'm ok…" Gabriella said softly,

"It's quiet here," said an enthusiastic voice. The girls turned and smiled when Chad came up, followed by Zeke, Jason, and Ryan,

"About time, it was ten minutes ago since I called," Sharpay huffed, but succumbed to a quick hug and kiss from her fiancé. The group shuffled around the circular table they had settled themselves upon, and the males sat with their respective others, which left Ryan and Jason with Gabriella and Kelsi.

"Hey where's Troy?" Taylor asked, scanning the group,

"Troy's here?" Gabriella started,

"Oh he went to park his car, probably went to get something to drink," Chad shrugged,

"Here he is," Ryan added, the twin of Sharpay, waved his hand over to someone, waving them over. No later than a few seconds, Troy appeared in a form fitting t-shirt and jeans. Maybe it was because Gabriella hadn't seen her best friend in over a week, or maybe it was that tugging feeling at her heart again, but suddenly, she noticed a bunch of new things she never realized in Troy. The way his shaggy brown bangs fell slightly over his blue eyes, the way the side of his eyes would crinkle ever so slightly when he smiled in greeting. The smallest details she used to take for granted now burst out in attention, grabbing her notice like flashing neon lights. When his eyes met hers, she froze for a second,

"Gabby," hissed Ryan on her left, nudging her arm, Gabriella snapped out of trance to see Troy continuing to look at her, only with a hint of confusion and a bigger hint of discomfort,

"Troy," Gabriella said slowly,

"Gabriella," Troy replied formally. There was silence once more, until she felt Ryan shuffle beside her, emptying the spot,

"Here, sit, I've got to get drinks for you guys anyway," Ryan said, sensing the tense vibe between the best friends. The silence was broken with shouts of different requests of drinks, temporarily over shadowing the silence between Troy and Gabriella.

"Do you guys notice something with the two of them," Taylor whispered, settled in the middle between Sharpay and Kelsi on her right and left side,

"You mean that huge ice patch between them," Sharpay asked,

"Yea, they haven't said a word to one another at all," Kelsi whispered back, "What do you think is going on," the three girls pondered. They had never seen Troy and Gabriella like this before, even when they did get into a huge fight during their senior year. Gabriella had been slaving for weeks trying to finish a science project to earn an extra credit mark. She hadn't slept for three days, and had went to school with eyes like a panda and hair that Sharpay only saw in her worse nightmare. When she approached the group, the brunette nearly collapsed, and had been close to send Troy into a heart attack when she looked like she had died three times over.

Gabriella had obviously gotten an A for her detailed 3D model of underwater life, as well as an argument loud enough to go down in East High history. An entire period later, Troy had approached Gabriella, and apologized for overreacting, but was simply concerned about her health. Gabriella relented, and the pair made up, and that was the end of that,

"Hey you know this is somewhat familiar," Taylor said, "You know the three stages?"

"Three stages of what?" Sharpay asked,

"Of acceptance," Kelsi caught on, "First you freak out, then you deny it, then it's acceptance, you were like that with Zeke,"

"Was not!" Sharpay protested, blushing slightly, Taylor laughed,

"Was too, I clearly remember it, 'I don't like him, what are you talking about? That's stupid, insane!'" Taylor made her best Sharpay imitation, making the blonde to full out glare at her.

"Can we please get to a point?"

"Tay means that Gabriella and Troy are probably beginning the stages of accepting the _possibility_ that they might like each other more than friends," Kelsi explained patiently,

"Well…there's only one way to try it out," Sharpay said brightly, clapping her hands, the three ended their huddle to face the group, just in time for Ryan (and Jason who had left to carry drinks) to return and distribute their drinks to the others. Despite their frosty disposition towards one another, Troy (being the closest one to Ryan and Jason), reached out and automatically grabbed a black coffee and a strawberry smoothie, handing the smoothie out to Gabriella and the coffee for himself, and Gabriella went ahead and took two packs of sugar and two little containers of milk, placing in front of Troy,

"Milk's healthier than cream," Gabriella said automatically before Troy opened his mouth. It was like a regular system for them, and it wasn't something a fight can force out of them. Sharpay beamed at the chance, and took it,

"God you two act like a married couple," Sharpay smirked,

"Or at least a couple," Taylor helped out. As expected, the two blushed red, and avoided looking at one another,

"What are you talking about?"

"That's crazy!"

"That makes no sense at all!"

"Not true—damn it Chad stop smirking like that!"

"We're not like that yet—I mean no, we're not like that we're friends!"

"Exactly, friends, just friends, best friends-Chad Danfourth you are so dead!"

"You-I-Shar!"

"I've got to go!" both the brunette and the basketball star shot up like their seats were on fire, nearly tipping over their drinks in front of them. There was a bunch of shuffling around, and Ryan, Jason and Chad had to stand up quickly and shuffle out of their seats so that Gabriella and Troy could get out of their own spots.

"Gabby you don't have your car," Sharpay pointed out, and inwardly rejoiced at the quick look that Troy sent Gabriella, and knew he was quickly analyzing the situation. On one hand, offering to drive Gabriella home might pour more fuel into Sharpay's thoughts of them being a couple, but _not_ driving her home would drive him to insanity with worry. Driving her home would let him spend more time with her, even without talking, Troy still loved being in her presence.

"I'll take the bus," Gabriella shrugged,

"No, I'll drive you home," Troy protested, Gabriella shot him a look that said 'I can do it myself', and Troy glared back at her with an 'I know you can but it makes me feel better,' look. Gabriella softened, and broke their eye contact but relented none the less.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Troy said shortly, leading the way to the door of the restaurant with Gabriella following behind shortly. Once the two had left, the gang turned to the blonde, who had a thoughtful look on her face,

"I don't like that look," Chad said slowly,

"I _know_ that look," Zeke and Ryan both said out of experience,

"She's planning something," Jason agreed, Kelsi and Taylor looked at the blonde,

"That definitely qualified as freaking out," Sharpay concluded,

"So then there's denial, then acceptance," Kelsi counted down.

"Well they've been denying it for like ten years now," Taylor pointed out,

"But Alex is still in the picture," Ryan pointed out, not quite sure where the girls were headed, but knew it was part of his twin sister's scheme of putting Troy and Gabriella together.

"I can't see Gabby holding any longer with Alex," surprisingly, the auburn haired musician said quite bluntly. The others looked at her, "I mean…well she acts much closer to Jason, Ryan, Zeke and Chad than she does with Alex, and Alex is supposed to be her boyfriend. I think she just needed to see someone else to realize how much she missed Troy,"

"Wow…Kels that was the bluntest statement I've ever heard you say," Jason said in admiration, and the gang admitted. Kelsi blushed, looking down and every bit like the timid girl they knew and mumbled 'It's just an idea'.

"No it's a really good point," Ryan assured the girl with a quick smile, "Only problem is, is if Gabby would actually break it up with him, we all know how she is, she hates hurting people,"

"But she's hurting herself _and_ Troy!" Chad exclaimed protectively, "I'm sorry Ryan, I know he's a friend of yours and all, but I don't like that dude."

"Only because he's stopping Gabby from being with Troy," Zeke pointed out to the bushy haired athlete, "And besides, even if Gabby does break up with him, none of us can be sure that she'll tell Troy how she feels…those two are closer than actual couples, but for some reason they can't tell each other their feelings,"

"Gabby's been hurt before," Taylor said softly, knowing the people at the table knew, "You can't blame her for not wanting to put out her heart again for another relationship,"

"But its Troy," Chad protested,

"Which makes it even worse," Ryan finished. Throughout the conversation, the last person anyone would've guessed remained silent. Sharpay's brown eyes followed the conversation intently, yet she didn't participate in it herself. Her plan with having Alex getting together with Gabriella to open up their blind eyes was slowly backfiring on her, and Sharpay Evans was not one use to having plans backfire on her (except when it came to trying to win Troy back when she was in high school). Now, for the first time since she could remember, her plan was spiralling out of control, and Sharpay had no idea what to do.

* * *

The entire ride from Starbucks to her apartment was taken in silence. It was almost exactly like the day Troy had taken her out of the hospital, and instead of bringing her to her own house, had taken her to his so they he could take care of her. The silence in the car that day had been deafening, and so the silence today between them right now, might as well have been explosive, because for Troy and Gabriella, the silence felt like a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any given second. When they reached the bottom of Gabriella's apartment, the two remained still, unsure of what to say, yet unable to stand the silence without saying something,

"You didn't have to drive me home," Gabriella offered finally,

"It was along the way,"

"It's no where near your house, or the gym,"

"I wanted to alright?"

"Troy…"

"I know you want your independence, and your space, and I get that, and I'm willing to give it to you," Troy said in monotone, keeping his eyes up front, his two hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were turning white,

"Troy I really didn't mean to hurt you," Gabriella said slowly, "We've been best friends forever…" Troy winced. There was that word again…best friends. Because best friends were all they were ever going to be. He was going to be her best friend when she gets engaged, her best friend when she gets her first wedding dress…her best friend that would watch her walk down the isle and pledge her life to another man while he tried to smile and remain her best friend and nothing more.

"That's all we are…best friends." Troy said. Gabriella looked down; completely unaware of what was going on in Troy's mind. Did he have any idea how much being best friends hurt her? Did he know how much she wanted to drop their 'best friend' title and adopt a title that was more than that? Did she even _dare_ approach that idea when for all she knew, Troy would never feel that way?

"Troy…" Gabriella bit her lip, she had to do this…before her courage ran out.

"I know you want your space, I know you're independent but I'm _not_!" Troy suddenly burst out, stopping Gabriella short, "You've been in my life for the past nineteen years, that's more than half my life! I can't think of a single memory that doesn't have you in it no matter how hard I try! I can't do a single damn thing in a day without thinking about what you would be doing, or how you would do it. Gabriella I can't think of how my life was before I met you, and right now, I don't want to try and imagine how it would be without you. You can hate me all you want…but I care too much about you to let you go now," by the end of the speech, Gabriella's eyes had filled with tears, and Troy was breathless and flushed. His heart pounding, and his mind screaming at his idiocy and his lost of control. Suddenly, everything he had set came crashing back, and he feared he had ruined their relationship…for good.

Troy studied Gabriella's expression with wide eyes. _"Look what you did!"_ his mind scolded him. Gabriella's brown eyes were wide, her brown orbs capturing his attention now more than ever. If it were any other time, in any other given situation, Troy would've happily stared into it for as long as he was able to. But this wasn't any other time, and it wasn't any other situation. This was now, and 'now' was not a good time. She looked so scared and shocked at his sudden outburst, and Troy feared deeply that he had said the wrong thing, and quickly set out to correct it, hoping to choose the right words while his mind continued to frantically process the situation.

"Troy I…" Gabriella couldn't speak, her throat tightened up, and nothing but a squeak got out. This was the break she was looking for and now she couldn't talk? Talk about bad timing! The whole speech had hit her like a giant truck, or a brick wall right in her face. To say it shocked her was an understatement, it scared her out of her wits! Not because her best friend nearly admitted to her he liked her, but _Troy Bolton_, the object of her affection for so long, the one person she couldn't live without, had just-indirectly-told her he felt the same way she did. The air in her lungs suddenly disappeared, and her heart rate doubled. Say something...anything!

"W-What...What did you say?"

"Oh god…Brie I…" Troy stuttered, he did not mean to spill everything like that…oh god what was he going to do? "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…I mean what I said I…" Troy met with her eyes, and was surprised to see it widen not in relief or surprise, but with confusion. Her eyes bored straight into his, and he found it completely impossible to lie to her, not when she looked so confused...and looked to him for an explanation.

"No I did, I mean…I meant it when I said I cared about you a lot, I really do," Troy said softly, "I really..._really_ care about you,"

"You've always cared about me--"

"No damn it I _really_ care about you...damn it Gabby I care about you more than I care about Shar, or Kelsi, or Taylor." Troy said slowly, his eyes slowly edging away from hers. Gabriella stared at him, why was it so hard for her to say something now? Troy practically _paved_ the road for her, all she had to do was to get on it, and start walking (or running...yes running sounded good)! She had been so ready to spill her true feelings out just minutes ago, but Troy had beat her to it. Now Troy was literally telling her he felt the same way and...and...all she could do was _stare_?

Troy was starting to get nervous with her staring at him. Normally, he wouldn't mind, heck at moments he wouldn't mind if she placed him under a huge magnifying glass and disected him like some science lab frog, but this type of staring was plucking at his nerves. It sent every single one of his nerves tingling in anticipation. One sound would make him jump as if he had been electrified. She looked so lost, as if unable to think of any words to say to him. His eyes trailed to the slightly agaped lips, they were twitching, as if wanting to say something but not knowing how to put it. He thought back to the time they had kissed in her apartment...he had been staring at her just like he was now with feelings he couldn't explain...well at least one thing changed...he understood those feelings now...and he still felt that over whelming urge to kiss her.

So he did. Just like that. In all simplicity and straight foward thinking, Troy did the first thing that came to his mind. He leaned forward and watched as Gabriella's eyes grew wider...and kissed her.

_He remembered the first time he met her on the bus. She was wearing her little white dress and looked so confused and lost. Despite popular belief, he wasn't as sociable as he made out to be. Being an only child, he didn't have a sibling to talk to and only his parents and...well what self respecting 5 year old would talk to his parents? So when he got onto the big yellow bus, and the figure of his parents became smaller and smaller, he had clutched his backpack tightly. When she approached him uncertainly, he had offered her a seat next to him. He rememebered he had breathed a sigh of relief when she accepted his offer. She was his first friend._

_She remembered the first time he took her hand. She had been walking with a novel in her hand. The sun was blaring down on her and created temperature suitable for an August summer, and the light reflected on the clean white paper of her book, and she had to squint her eyes to read every single tiny font in detail, drinking in the plot, the characters, the story. Intently focused, all she had remembered was a quick, loud honk of a car, and a pair of large hands grabbing her own, and pulling her back. When she looked up in surprise, stern blue eyes glared down at her, blue eyes that matched the skies above him. He had reprimended her, and kept her hand in his all the way back to her house. He was the first person to take her hand._

Both of them opened their eyes at the same time as they slowly drew apart. Gabriella was the first to realize what had happened, and breathed slowly (albeit unevenly), and gently touched her lips with her fingers. So this was how it felt like...to die and go to heaven. Funny...despite the popular belief that ones life would flash before their eyes, all that flashed before her eyes were the memories she had with Troy. Well...that would have to do...considering Troy was very much her life.

"It's...It's getting late," Troy stuttered quietly despite it being three in the afternoon, Gabriella nodded, wondering if the kiss had the same speechless-'died and gone to heaven'- knocking the air out of their lungs feeling she was experiencing. Seeing the flushed red face Troy was currently sporting, and his darting blue eyes, Gabriella was willing to bet he had.

"Y-yea," Gabriella replied, her mind currently unable to produce anything more intelligent than that three letter word. She slowly and clumsily made her way out of his car, but bent down and poked her head in, "Troy?"

"Yes?" Troy answered that quickly (maybe a bit desperately), but kept his eyes foward,

"Good luck with your game," Gabriella said softly, reminding him of his semi-final game before the championship. She left without saying another word, and Troy spent the next twenty minutes rooted at the same spot. He vaguely remembered Taylor once talking about the three stages of acceptance.

Upstairs, fifteen floor above Troy's car, Gabriella fell onto her couch, and covered her face with a pillow, and closing her eyes. Despite being fifteen floors separated from another, Troy and Gabriella shared a thought,

Who knew accepting the truth would be so confusing.

* * *

**A/N: Aw this is so sad!! I'm sorry for updating so late, I've been working lately and so I've only got two days per week to write. I hope you liked it. Again, I've posted the URL to 'Here's to right now' on my profile, and I'm working on putting JLK up as well. Thank you and review!**


	21. Five Days

I can't begin this chapter without a big hug and thank you to every single one of you

I can't begin this chapter without a big hug and thank you to every single one of you!! We've passed the 1000 mark! You guys are absolutely amazing and I truly can't ask for better readers than you guys, thank you so much for making this such a successful story! I couldn't have done it without you guys, so thank you so, so much!

Also, as mentioned in the previous chapter, I had uploaded **Here's to right now **so everyone can continue reading. Unfortunately, the site I had chosen to use is to shut down…so I am once again lacking a place to upload the story. If anyone knows of any good sites that allows stories about real life people, please feel free to offer up suggestions!

**Vanessa's new commercial for the new Sears back to school line, 'Arrive' is now out. She's featured in three different and totally awesome outfits so go check it out!**

**Ashley celebrated a belated 23****rd**** birthday with a party by Malibu beach. She kept the gathering small, inviting only close friends and of course, the HSM3 cast. The party was kept low key with tacos and machos and chocolate cupcakes. Zac, being the sweet person he is, complimented Ashley by calling her 'sweeter than the cupcakes'. **

**Apparently Vanessa has a new car now. She's no longer driving her Audi Cabriolet, but is driving a hybrid Lexus SUV. It looks really nice! She recently used it to go to the airport and picked up Zac while trying to dodge paparazzi. **

**Vanessa will be beginning her August state fair tour real soon, so if you live near the area she'll be performing, go on out and support her!**

**Congratulations to Vanessa who won this year's Teen's Choice Award for 'Choice Female Hottie'! Unfortunately Zac didn't win Male hottie (that went to the Jonas Brothers) but he was there to back his girl up! The two went together as a couple.**

**Zac, Vanessa and Ashley also did a **_**very**_** sexy photo call with **_**Elle**_** magazine. They were dressed similar to John Travolta and Olivia Newton in Grease. There were a lot of cute pictures with just Zac and Vanessa being very affectionate and passing flirty glances.**

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 21: Five days_

* * *

'Good luck on your game.' Good luck on your game? That was the best she could come up with? Gabriella groaned into her pillow. If her pillow could talk or some how miraculously sprouted arms and legs, it would've ran off three hours ago, when she had finally decided to go to sleep, only to twist and turn around in insomnia, thrusting her face into her pillow more than fifty times, while her mind went through the ridiculous phrase she had sprouted out seconds before leaving Troy at his car.

Those words formed and left her mouth before she had a chance to think them through, some how she saw those words as a passageway to grasp what was left of her normality. Ever since Troy was in a basketball team, Gabriella had always uttered those exact words to him a few days before the actual game. She didn't know why she did it or if it helped at all. She just did. The first time she had said it was during his first game as captain of the East High basketball team. It was their Grade Eleven year and Troy, being the youngest Captain of the team, had managed to reduce the napkin he had been using at lunch into shreds and created the perfect white confetti should they ever need any.

"_Troy calm down, you're getting napkin pieces in your macaroni," Sharpay had said in an amused voice. Out of the four basketball players at the table, Troy was the most nervous, his blue eyes unfocused and his hands fidgety. Even Jason, Chad and Zeke had ways of managing their stress. To be honest, no one had ever seen Jason too stressed up, the black haired, occasionally dense student was more like comic relief than someone pent up with nervousness. Zeke had his cooking interests to divert any sort of nervousness- and believe them they knew when Zeke was nervous. The chef had once brought an entire meal (spaghetti, garlic bread and crème brûlée) five minutes before the start of the game. No one was entirely sure if Chad actually got nervous before a game, seeing as he lived and breathed basketball (but Taylor spilled that Chad had quite the artistic flare when need be). _

"_Sorry…just nervous," Troy had chuckled sheepishly. He placed his napkin (or what remained of it) down onto the table and preoccupied his hands with more fidgeting._

"_Troy?" Gabriella had called, and her best friend turned to face her. She offered him a gentle, soft smile and placed a comforting hand over his fidgety ones, "Don't worry," he nodded but Gabriella had known he really didn't take it seriously. So when the school day finally ended and his first game was coming up in mere minutes, Troy was reduced to a walking ball of nerves. Gabriella had caught up to him before he entered the change room, and grabbed him for a hug,_

"_Good luck on your game," she had whispered in his ears. She pulled back, gave him a brilliant smile, before heading to join the gang in the seats on the bleachers. That night, the East High Wildcats won the game by a landslide with a whooping twenty-five point's lead and the school cheered on as a smiling, relaxed Captain Troy Bolton led on the cheers with his team. _

Gabriella shook her head. 'Normal' wasn't going from liking your best friend as a best friend to wanting something more. Instead of a brief hug, it'd be a hug where she would be clearly aware of how his arms would twist around her waist, how close they would be how her heart would flutter and how she would hope she could hear his.

Gabriella definitely didn't want just a 'normal' relationship with Troy. But it was a huge jump from being best friends of nineteen years to something more…something closer…something more intimate than best friends. Nineteen years of friendship would end there, and a new timer would start…and this time it wasn't something a quick apology would fix should anything go wrong. It was taking their relationship to a whole new level.

"_Just sleep on it…sleep on it and you'll figure it out tomorrow,"_ her mind chided her. Gabriella groaned, if only she could actually sleep. Her eyes opening once more (and meeting the same darkness she had faced for the past three hours, Gabriella realized there really was something she could do…maybe something she should've done a long time ago.

-

-

Gabriella wouldn't have had a hard time believing Troy had spent most of his night doing the exact same thing she had.

Twisting and turning in bed, sleep eluding him and staring at the same spot on the ceiling for hours on end. He couldn't get the scene from the car out of his mind. Throughout the day his mind had worked tirelessly on hundreds of different ways it could've turned out. He could've apologized and blame the heat (although the sun was hidden behind clouds and the car was air conditioned), or he could've pulled her back into the car and lock the door and explain everything at once, then let her leave and drive off to wallow in the consequences. He could've followed her, and maybe allow both of them to explain-after all, she _did_ kiss him back.

Troy could've done a lot of things…too bad he couldn't turn back time.

Every time he closed his eyes, he could see Gabriella's face as clear as he could see his game plan on the basketball court. He could also see the hundreds of different ways his confession could backfire and smack him right back in the face.

"_Suck it up and take it like a man,"_ Chad's voice said from his mind. Great…now his inner voice sounded like Chad too.

"_Just focus on the game…semi-finals…yea that will take your mind off of it,"_ he reassured himself. Troy nearly scoffed at himself at the idea. Like thinking about the game would get his mind off of Gabriella. Every single detail of his life had Gabriella in it…heck his life _was_ Gabriella. His life _is_ Gabriella. Since when did how he live… how happy his life was depend on one single person? How could one single person have such an impact on his life like that? It wasn't like something huge like a bulldozer slamming into him, it was gradual. Gabriella had slipped through the cracks and seeped her way into his life. Her presence was gentle, her impact was soft. It was like a feather hitting the still water surface, and the ripples that followed the impact were the consequences… and as time went on, the ripples grew bigger…and the water wouldn't be the same again.

Troy shook his head. He had to get his priorities straight. Get one thing over with first, and then deal with the second. And at the moment, the semi-finals were the most important thing (not to mention it was something that he could easily get over first). After he finished that (and the championships won't be until a few weeks later) he could think about what to do with the situation he had placed himself in. After all, Troy convinced himself, he had all the time in the world with Gabriella after.

Five days after the confrontation in the car, neither Troy nor Gabriella had the courage to call one another. Instead, they tried to fall back into their normal lives with Troy going to training and Gabriella continuing her internship. When they thought about it later on, they would've realized it was a fairly stupid move, as they had already realized that there was no way to achieve a normal life (by their standards) without one another.

Gabriella went into work around noon, an hour earlier than her intended shift. Maybe it was good luck or maybe it was just coincidence, but once Gabriella had signed in and got to her desk next to Rachel, her supervisor had came out,

"Oh so you got my message," Rachel smiled, her way of saying good morning…or rather good afternoon. Gabriella blinked a couple of times before took her cell phone out to reveal the fact that she indeed had a text message from the older woman in front of her, "I take that back," Rachel smirked, Gabriella grinned sheepishly, opening the text to find out she had been requested to get to work an hour early,

"Guess I was lucky," Gabriella shrugged, still smiling softly, Rachel's eyes glistened the same way Troy's would when he had finished a successful game (Gabriella blushed when she realized the last time she had looked into his eyes was seconds before they had leaned in for their second kiss). "You're happy about something," Gabriella guessed,

"How'd you know?"

"You're easy to read… like a…friend…of mine,"

"Sure it's just a friend?" Rachel winked and Gabriella cursed herself. She should've known better…Rachel was a family friend of the Bolton's.

"So why am I here?" Gabriella hastily changed the subject, making the older woman smile at the popular and well used antic.

"I think you might like the opportunity I'm-that is to say the hospital-is about to offer you." When Gabriella didn't answer, and waited for Rachel to continue, she added, "I know your internship with us is about to end…come in Miss. Montez, we've got a lot to talk about."

Half an hour later, Gabriella exited Rachel's room with a dazed look on her face, her mind acting like a teeter totter, weighing the possibilities, and a stack of paper that was half the size of her university text books.

-

-

It had been when Sharpay was in her senior year of high school did she experience her first bitter taste of her own plans backfiring on her. Sharpay and her brother had grown up in a well off family, owning several country clubs around the area. By the time she was three; people had already begun praising her for her beauty and poise something 'no other three year olds had'. By the time she was seven, Sharpay and Ryan had already starred in several community theatre productions, and even at that age, Sharpay had grown use to succeeding in everything she did, and when things didn't go her way, she _made_ it go her way. Simply put, whatever Sharpay wanted, she had.

So when Troy Bolton was the one thing that East High prized over everything else, Sharpay was determined to win him over. Of course outwardly it sounded terrible, essentially she wanted Troy Bolton as a prize, a trophy to show to the world that she could get anything she wanted. Her plans had been flawless up to her senior year. Even when she had planned to only have Troy work in her country club and ended up getting all the Wildcats, she was still well on her way to winning Troy Bolton…except for one minor fault she had carelessly over looked.

She had over looked Gabriella Montez, a factor that had already been there, but had been put aside. So after that one summer, and the beginning of their senior year rolled around, Sharpay arrived at school with the bitter aftertaste of a broken plan. Of course it was only after that, Gabriella had extended a hand of friendship, and invited both Evans to join the group. But at least even at that point, Sharpay knew where she had gone wrong.

So where had she gone wrong this time?

If it weren't for the fact that Zeke had made Sharpay promise to not cook up any more schemes, Sharpay would've made a detailed, step by step plan of her plan in detail, and access it from all situations. She thought it had been a good plan. It was pretty cliché too… girl gets asked out by another guy, main guy gets jealous, then another girl comes out and the main guy seems to be paying attention to her instead, and the main girl gets jealous. Then eventually it'll wear both of them down and they'll break down, and confess their feelings for one another and live happily ever after forever thanking Sharpay for bringing them together…

Sharpay had to laugh at the last bit, so they won't be forever thanking her, but at least they'll be together, right? But once again, Sharpay had managed to underestimate Gabriella's stubbornness, and Troy's ability to withstand murdering all the guys that came up to his brunette best friend.

"Please tell me you're not scheming again," Zeke came up next to her with a semi stern look on his face. Sharpay tried to smile innocently up at him, but failed. She'd have to get use to him being able to read her so clearly, especially when they'll be living under the same roof soon,

"I'm not scheming…"

"Then you're analyzing your plans," he countered,

"How do you know?"

"You have this look on you every single time you try to do something," Zeke smirked, "Ryan use to say if you put a quarter of your energy in scheming to school, you might actually be par with Gabby and Taylor,"

"You actually agreed with that?" Sharpay gasped in a mocked hurt voice, Zeke smiled, and sat down next to her, and encased her small white hands in his,

"I know you really want the two of them to be together, and don't think I didn't know it was you who tried to pair Alex and Gabby up together. Believe me for a while I'm sure it was working, but now you've got to let them solve their own problems," Zeke said, he shook his head when she made a move to interrupt, "They're adults now, sure they don't act like it when it concerns one another, but that's how they are. You have to trust them to be able to solve their own problems. You should know by now their reactions are never normal when it considers one another,"

"They're just so stubborn," Sharpay grumbled,

"I know they are, the gang knows they are. But I think you just have to let them deal with it. It'll come when it comes, and when it does happen, it'll be because it's on their own time, in their own terms and it'll have nothing to do with us," Zeke said the last part slightly more strictly than the rest, but had a soft smile on his face that made the blonde squeeze the life out of him,

"Now I know what went wrong with my plan," Sharpay grumbled a few minutes later, Zeke grinned amusedly,

"What's that?"

"You must've said something similar to them before…I didn't count on you being such a good shrink,"

* * *

"Troy…Troy…psst Troy!"

Troy snapped out of his day dream and looked to his left to see Chad nudging him, discreetly giving a pointed look from him to their coach in front of them who was currently making his annual pre-semi finals speech. The words had went in one ear and left the other, leaving room in Troy's mind for day dreams and wonders.

"—and best of luck to each and every one of you, we've trained hard, we've had a successful season, let's make it a Lakers year!" their coach pumped his hand up in emphasis and the team cheered, the coach stuck his hand out to the middle, "Champions on three!"

Troy had the feeling of being squished between Chad and another member of his team, and followed the others and placed his hand on top of someone else's, and shouted the word just like everyone else. When he was dismissed, he walked back with Chad,

"What's with you man, you're everywhere today and not in a good way. You nearly missed that pass I gave you, you're lucky coach was out that time," Chad said, Troy sighed,

"It's been a long day,"

"Long day or girl troubles?" Chad smirked and Troy glared at him, "Hey don't look at me like that, you're lucky it's me doing the asking and not the girls, they would've just tied you to a chair and stuck a flashlight in your face like they do in movies when they interrogate someone," Whether or not Troy agreed, he didn't say, but decided to take advantage of the rare moment when Chad was actually listening,

"I sort of…well I kind of told Gabby," Troy mumbled,

"Told Gabby what?" Chad asked, and Troy cursed his friend's denseness,

"I told her I liked her alright? Hell I probably told her I loved her and I couldn't live without her happy?" Troy exploded, his hands flinging in the air and his voice vibrating in the gym. He realized a second too late and blushed slightly, looking down and finding extreme interest on the wax floor of the gym. Chad looked around and was glad everyone had left,

"Dude, you and I are going to sit down and have a long talk,"

-

-

After getting changed and a quick shower, Troy and Chad drove to a close by café and settled in a secluded booth area. After Troy's dark coffee and Chad's double, double arrived, Chad initiated their conversation,

"So you told her…then what?"

"We kissed,"

"Ok you kissed—what you kissed?" Chad stumbled slightly,

"Yea…"

"But it's the first kiss between the two of you,"

"Second,"

"Second kiss?"

"It's our second kiss,"

"Wait, your _second_ kiss? So you had a first? Damn Troy how come no one tells me these things?" Chad grumbled, "Wait does Shar know? Does Taylor?"

"No…maybe…I don't know! Maybe…Taylor might…" Troy mumbled, "I screwed it up big time didn't I?"

"No, screwing up would be skipping a date for a basketball game and leaving your girlfriend at the restaurant alone," Chad said knowledgeable, "Did she slap you?"

"What?"

"Did she slap you after the kiss?"

"No…she kissed me back…both times," Troy said and had a flit of a smile when he recalled the memory,

"Man if you weren't my best friend, I would've straight killed you when you told me you kissed our Gabby," Chad said, "Look Troy, you've been with us long enough to know what we think about you two…if you asked me I think the kiss was a pretty good step forward to how you feel about her. And besides, she hasn't called you to tell you she hates you yet… so that's got to be a good sign,"

"Thanks man, you're a real motivational speaker," Troy said rolling his eyes sarcastically, "Chad…it's wrong, she has a boyfriend,"

"Uh dude?"

"She's dating someone…and even though I hate him it's wrong for me to do this to her when she already has a boyfriend,"

"You mean that boyfriend?" Chad's voice sounded oddly pissed and serious, "that 'boyfriend' who is currently with a girl who is _not_ our Gabby?" Troy's head shot up, and looked towards the cash area where-just like Chad had said-Alex stood with a blonde next to him who was definitely not Anne, and most definitely not Gabriella.

"That bastard…" Troy hissed, seeing him trough narrowed eyes.

"Let me at him man, how could he do this to her—Troy?" Chad looked up in time to see Troy shooting out of his seat, making a direct bee line towards the man. Chad shot up after him, now more afraid of Alex's safety instead.

When the blonde had gasped in surprised, Alex turned from the cashier to his left, seconds before a fist connected to his face. His date screamed in shock as did several of the café's customers. The first pulled back, and Alex saw a brief flash of blue eyes and shaggy brown hair through watering eyes when the fist met his stomach, this time causing him to double over, and knocking the air out of his lungs. Somewhere behind Troy, someone shouted to call the police, and was followed by Chad trying to pull him off of Alex, who was now on the floor clutching his stomach,

"Dude calm down, you're causing a scene!" Chad hissed, but Troy heard none of it, blood pounding angrily in his ears, he struggled against his best friend, wanting nothing more than to pummel the man in front of him into a bloody pulp,

"How could you!" Troy shouted, "You lying, two timing bastard! How _dare_ you cheat on Gabby?"

"_Me_ cheat on her?" Alex chocked through his pain, he stumbled to get up, and the blonde he came in with helped him up and supported him from his shoulder, "You're one to talk!"

"Why you—" Troy lunged at him and Chad grunted to hold him in place, but Troy smirked to see the older man grimace at the idea of being hit again, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I am not cheating on Gabriella. I have more dignity than certain other people who would punch someone without getting the story straight," and Alex winced, knowing a not so becoming black eye would soon form.

"Then what do you call coming here on a date with someone who isn't Gabriella," Troy growled dangerously,

"Gabriella and I broke up," Alex winced, "No thanks to you,"

"What are you talking about?"

"She called me and told me we had to talk, then she just broke up with me, I'll give you three chances to guess why," Alex said dryly. Troy calmed down slightly, and Chad deemed it ready to let him go though the bushy haired athlete made to stand between his best friend and (apparently) ex-boyfriend of Gabriella.

"When did you guys break up?" Chad asked in a straight forward manner. Not liking to admit to the fact that he got dumped, but preferring that over getting punched again, Alex sighed,

"She called about five days ago,"

Troy started slightly. Five days ago, Troy had driven Gabriella back to her house after meeting the gang. Five days ago, Troy had, quite literally, confessed to the fact that he liked her, maybe even loved her. Five days ago, they had shared their second kiss…

It had been five days ago since the two of them had talked.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I've been doing some changes o****n the story line and the ending as well, I've also been quite busy lately with work and such. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, there were certain things left off without explanation, but there will be one in the next chapter. Review!**


	22. Holding Back, Moving On

Thank you for all your wonderful reviews! Most of you were very glad Gabriella finally broke up with Alex…ha-ha! Anyway, the story _is_ coming to a close really soon, I'm hoping to have it finished by the time summer ends (work permitted), thank you for your continuous support.

Also, thank you for all the great suggestions on websites I can use to post up 'Here's to right now' and 'Just Like Kindergarten'. The Music in Me website seems to be a really popular choice, since I've gotten many suggestions for that particular site, so I've uploaded 'Here's to right now' on it. The URL is now on my profile, again, no new chapters have been added yet, but a new one will be up soon.

**In terms of news, there hasn't been a lot going on. Vanessa is still on her 'Identified' state tour. According to reviews, she's doing an amazing job, some stating that she's making her presence known in pop history. She still has a couple more dates left. Also, it seems like Vanessa and Mandy Moore will be doing a concert together for two dates. Right now there's some discrepancy on the dates, but it seems like it will happen for sure.**

**Zac was also sighted in one of Vanessa's concerts. Zac was, apparently, watching from a tent during Vanessa's Iowa state concert (it was also raining and she still performed). The couple was sighted holding hands leaving and heading for the tour bus.**

**Apparently, it's been confirmed that Zac's movie 'Me and Orson Wells' is set to have a premiere at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, it has also been confirmed that Zac **_**will**_** be attending the red carpet for the festival. In terms of a date of release, nothing has been confirmed yet.**

**Also, HSM2 has been nominated for an Emmy once again. The movie is nominated for several awards including 'Best Choreography' and 'Best original songs', songs including 'Everyday' and 'You are the music in me'. Other Disney nominated shows include Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.**

Here's in interesting review. One reviewer asked if I would be dedicating a chapter to Troyella once I FINALLY get them together. Ha-ha of course! I'm always in for extra Troyella fluff.

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 22: Holding back, Moving On_

* * *

_Flashback – Five days ago_

_Gabriella walked around the apartment, desperate to find something to occupy her time with while time ticked away, counting down the seconds until her expected guest showed up. _

"Silly girl, why are you so nervous, it's not your first time!" _her mind chided her. Gabriella shook her head, no, it wasn't her first time breaking up with a boyfriend. But-as terrible as it might sound, her previous break ups involved relationships that wouldn't lead to uncharted, fragile, never before treaded territories that this particular break up would most definitely lead to._

_Gabriella nearly jumped out of her skin when her silence was interrupted with the shrill ring of the doorbell and her heart rate increased. Taking a deep breath, Gabriella brought herself to the door, and slowly opened it, revealing Alex, standing there in a casual t-shirt and slightly ripped dark jeans and sneakers, smiling softly. It made what she had to do next even more unbearable. _

"_Hey Alex," Gabriella smiled hesitantly. She hoped she didn't sound as shaky as she felt inside. Alex smiled back walking in when she invited him in. Instead of sitting down on the couch like Gabriella hoped, he remained standing near the door, instead choosing to lean against his shoulder on the wall, waiting for her to start the conversation._

"Just do it…do it quickly, it'll be less painful,"_ Gabriella thought, "Um do you want something to drink?" Damn. _

"_Coffee thanks," Alex said. One cup of instant coffee later, Gabriella and Alex sat down on the couch, and Gabriella searched for the right words,_

"_Alex," Gabriella started, "What…what do you think about us?" Gabriella cringed, it sounded like some horribly cliché movie break up. That line always meant something was about to end, she might as well just have told him she wanted to end their relationship,_

"_I like it," Alex said simply, taking a sip of the dark coffee, "I like being with you, spending time with you, and talking to you. You're a wonderful person, and a beautiful girl…what's not to like?" Curse him for being so sweet and innocent at that moment._

"_Alex," Gabriella started again, "I mean… thanks… I liked being with you too…it's just that…well…I've done some thinking…" _More like some kissing_her mind crudely interrupted, "and…and well I don't think this is going to work out,"_

_Silence…silence…more silence…Alex was no longer smiling…and the cup of coffee was left abandoned on the table. _

"_I'm…sorry…" Gabriella tried softly, testing the silent waters. Alex's jaws were slightly tight and his eyes lost his mirth, "I…I never really planned it to go like this,"_

"_Did you honestly like being with me, at any time at all in our relationship?" Alex asked in a hard voice, _

"_I did, there were times when I really did like being with you…but being with you was like…being with the gang…it was like…being with friends," Gabriella flinched, that wasn't going to help make things any better,_

"_Oh so all those times we held hands, all those times I hugged you or gave you a kiss, it was like being with them?" Alex said harshly and Gabriella closed her eyes. Could she really blame him for being a bit mad?_

"_Yes…no…I don't know…" Gabriella said softly, "There was a point in time when I really did like you but I guess it just ended…" Alex shot up so quickly it rattled the table, and sent ripples in his nearly untouched coffee, "Alex please,"_

"_No, don't give me that 'we can still be friends' thing, I've heard that enough," Alex said shortly, already making his way to the door. Gabriella scrambled to follow and nearly bumped into him when he stopped abruptly and turned to face her,_

"_Tell me something, and be honest, breaking up…it's because of him isn't it? Troy Bolton," Alex demanded. Gabriella was slightly taken back at the straight forwardness, but taking in what she learned from Sharpay, she straightened her back, and relaxed her shoulders, holding her head up high, _

"_Yes…yes it is," Gabriella said smoothly. It was a surprise to both of them at how easily the confession seemed to have just slipped from her mind and out her mouth. Alex nodded tightly, his mouth set in a thin line,_

"_I never stood a chance did I?" Alex finally said quietly, one hand on the door knob. Gabriella had to pause for a second to reflect on the simple question._

_**When will you two stop being so stubborn?**_

_**So…is your relationship with Troy heading anywhere? **_

_**You two act like old couples.**_

_**One day the both of you will see you're perfect for one another…**_

_Everything her family had ever said, everything her friends have ever said to her came rolling back in her mind, and a small smile lit her face as each memory passed. Seeing the smile, Alex admitted his defeat, and opened the door,_

"_No…I guess not,"_

_End of flashback_

* * *

Alex returned home after the quick-and not to mention painful- trip to the coffee shop with a bruising eye, and a sore stomach. Anne was at home, curled up on the couch and reading through a script Sharpay had dropped off earlier that day. With the blonde's wedding coming up, Sharpay had-and Anne quotes- 'absolutely no time what so ever to deal with things right now, with a wedding coming up and I (as in Sharpay) would have nothing but perfection', and so the blonde had recommended Anne to a few of her director friends (and when Sharpay Evans-soon to be Baylor- spoke, no one denied).

So when Anne looked up from a fairly serious and sombre part of the script to find her black and blue, racoon eyed brother, she didn't know whether or not to gasp in shock or laugh…so she decided to look back down at her script before closing it,

"What happened to you?" Anne said in a well chosen calm voice. Alex glared softly at her,

"Glad to see you're so worried, I'm fine thanks for asking," he said dryly, dropping on the couch. Anne rolled her eyes, putting the script down on the table and went to the kitchen. She came back with a small ice pack wrapped around a towel,

"Here, if it gets any darker, even Gabriella wouldn't want you," Anne smirked. Alex cringed, Gabriella being the sole reason he now looked like half a panda. He didn't know whether or not to be happy they broke up early; what would happen if they had actually carried on?

"Gabriella and I aren't dating anymore,"

"Oh so she finally saw the real you and came to her senses?" Anne teased, expecting a dry retort from her older brother. When she received none, she decided to soften, and sat next to her brother, taking the ice pack from him, and gently dabbing his eye, "What happened?"

"Went to the coffee shop with my date," Alex said, "found Bolton"

"_Troy_ punched you?" Anne gasped softly, "What'd you do? Taunt him?"

"No," Alex glared, "I'm not stupid. He just came up to me and punched the hell out of me—ouch, be gentle will you!"

"If you don't do it hard enough the bruise won't go away," Anne said, "he just punched you out of the blue like that?"

"He thought I was cheating on Gabriella," Alex said, rolling his eyes, "he didn't know we broke up, guess they aren't as close as they appear to be,"

Anne pressed slightly harder on his eye, causing the older man to yelp in pain, and then snatching the ice pack away from her and stalking to his room muttering something about his own sister wanting to kill him too. Anne ignored it. So Gabriella didn't tell Troy they had broken up…it seemed like it was either the two of them were seriously on the outs…or something was terribly wrong. Anne snatched the home phone up, and called Sharpay.

-

-

**Next Day**

"How the hell are you going to explain this?"

The thick, tense air broke like a bullet breaking glass, shattering it and piercing Troy, making him cringe. Whoever said that celebrities and famous people liked seeing their faces on magazines couldn't be more wrong at that particular moment. Especially not when said pictures were blown up to cover up the entire cover page of an international magazine, and depicted a clear picture of him punching the day lights out of a (quoted) 'innocent citizen waiting for coffee, frightening many customers', and another picture (thankfully smaller but still affective) of him being held back by his best friend although Chad looked like he could 'barely keep his hold' (and yes, that is quoted).

As they say, pictures speak louder than words…or was it a picture's worth a thousand words?

Troy's angry coach sat down on his chair so fast Troy would've been worried he'd break if had he not been in his coach's line of fire. The magazine the older man had slammed before him seconds before was now forbidden territory, and Troy was determined not to look at it, and instead focused his attention on his coach's livid face…he had a hard time choosing which was less painful.

"I…lost control," Troy said slowly, the coach laughed coldly,

"No, losing control would be hitting the other team when they scored a basket a second before the ending bell, losing control would be throwing a three pointer to save the game and missing by a mile!" the coach pointed angrily at the magazine, "_this_ isn't losing control this is plain _stupid_ Bolton! You are damn lucky your manager caught this before they printed it out!" Troy clenched and unclenched his fist,

"I have half a mind to suspend you from the semis tomorrow night!"

"You can't do that!" Troy shouted angrily, his head now up and blue eyes blazing, the coach's eyes matched the intensity,

"I damn well can! This team can function without you Bolton. Even if we lose this semi final, we won enough games this season to get us through to the champions and that is exactly what I'm going to do if you don't clean up your act! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir," Troy grumbled in a quiet and defeated voice, the coach nodded, rubbing his temple,

"Go now Bolton and I better see you tomorrow morning, two hours before prep shooting some hoops,"

"Yes sir," Troy repeated, standing up. He stalked out of the office but not before taking one final glance at the magazine on the table. The eye catching yellow headlines that read **"Lakers MVP: Most Valuable Player to Most Violent Person?"** blared out at him, and Troy slammed the door.

-

-

"Promise me you'll think about it?" Rachel asked from behind her desk. Gabriella fidgeted slightly, unconscious to her nervous action.

"I will it's just…such a big step…"

"I know, but it really is an once in a life time opportunity,"

"But I'm just an intern, I mean technically I'm still in school!" Gabriella exclaimed,

"But you've honestly been amazing here—and no Gabriella it's not just because I know the Bolton's," Rachel said, holding up her hand as if to stop the inevitable excuse, "You've exceeded my expectations, and according to the other nurses and doctors in the hospital that you've worked with, they're quite impressed with your work, not to mention I've looked over your school marks and it is beyond exceptional" Rachel's expression then softened at Gabriella's torn face,

"I know it's tough. I'm asking you to choose whether or not you want to leave behind your family and friends. You've spent your whole life here, and it's tough to leave it behind. But think about it alright? Don't think about it now, sleep on it tonight. Europe is an amazing place to study medicine, and their technology is superb. It'll be an incredible learning experience…and who knows, when you come back we might even be able to ask you to officially work for us…if you don't think we're too behind," Rachel winked, and all Gabriella could do was laugh weakly.

After a few quick words exchanged, Gabriella gathered up the rest of her paper work for the day, grabbed her coat and bag, turned her computer off, said good bye to Rachel, and headed out the door, only smiling in greeting as she passed nurses and doctors, making a straight bee line to her car in the parking lot. Dumping the stack of papers on the back seat, and putting her bag next to her on the passengers seat, Gabriella sat in the driver's seat for a few minutes, staring into space, pondering about Rachel's offered opportunity.

Europe was a far place to go…it'd take her away from her mom…the gang…her co-workers…from Troy…

Gabriella sighed, all in all, she was just hesitant in taking the job simply because it'd take her away from Troy, because in their nineteen years of friendship, neither of them had been without the other, and even through university, they were only an half hour drive away. Now…they were talking about being on opposite sides of the world, and Gabriella didn't have a lot of time to decide, yet she knew she couldn't make up her mind without knowing what Troy thought of her…and 'them'.

"_I'm putting my life on hold…for one person…and one answer…bet you didn't see that coming,"_ Gabriella mind sighed as she finally started the engine of her car. By the time she pulled out, night was already settled in, and as her glowing car clock read 8:37PM, Gabriella might actually make it home on time to settle in front of her TV, with a tub of ice cream while drowning herself in soap operas…

_Ring—Ring—_

"Hello?" Gabriella turned her hands free on, plugging in her blue tooth hands free while setting her cell phone onto the pink and green phone holder she had received a few years back,

"_Gabby/Gabby!"_

"Tay, Sharpay?" Gabriella managed to pick out the two voices that had shouted her name as one.

"_Is Troy with you?"_ Sharpay asked urgently. Gabriella's brow furrowed. She and Troy hadn't spoken in five (now six) days, not since he had dropped her off and they had kissed for the second time. Today had been the first time Gabriella had forgotten to check her phone to see if she had any missed calls or messages,

"No he isn't…I haven't seen him in a few days…what's wrong?"

"_It's just that…"_ now this was Taylor's voice… Taylor's voice that sounded anxious and worried, _"Anne, remember Alex's sister, well she called Shar yesterday, and it turns out Troy saw Alex at the coffee shop, and Chad said that Troy went insane, and went up and punched him!"_

"He what?" Gabriella screeched to a halting stop, completely forgetting the fact that she had stopped in the middle of the road, "Why would he do that?"

"_Apparently he thought Alex was cheating with you, he was at the coffee shop with another girl,"_ Sharpay answered, _"Gabby, why didn't you tell us you two broke up? Why didn't you tell Troy?"_

"I-I… I was just a bit busy this week with some things at the hospital and I didn't get to tell you… and like I said before I haven't seen or spoken to Troy in a few days," Gabriella mumbled, "Wait… you asked me if Troy was with me… is something wrong? Why can't you find him? What happened? Is he alright?'

"_Gabby calm down," _Sharpay said,

"_After that, someone must've taken some pictures, because apparently some magazine got a hold of it and was going to print an article on it, but it was stopped last minute by Troy's manager. Chad said when their coach heard about it, he nearly blew his head off, and he stormed into his office and shouted for Troy to follow. No one knew what happened, but Troy came out half an hour later and he was boiling mad!"_ Taylor took over,

"_The only reason I know is because Anne has a friend who's a model for the magazine, and she had came up to her and asked if she knew Troy since Alex was dating you, and there was that whole incident with the article that involved you and Troy a while back,"_ Sharpay added.

"_Oh Troy…"_ Gabriella thought to herself, "But still, where's Troy?"

"_We… we don't know. After he stormed out of the office, Chad said he just ran off, and by the time Chad caught up, Troy had already left,"_ Taylor explained,

"_We tried calling his cell phone, his house, no one answered. All of the guys are out checking the usual places. Chad's at the gym, Zeke's circling around his house, Jason's checking out any of the outdoor basketball courts and Ryan's going around to see Troy's parents,"_ Sharpay said, Gabriella nodded, chewing her lip nervously,

"Ok, well I'll drive around to check too," Gabriella offered, "Call me if you hear anything ok?"

"_Definitely/of course,"_ and with a click, they ended their conversation. Gabriella breathed out shakily, her mind now set on trying to find Troy. When there were honking noises behind her, Gabriella was suddenly reminded that she had paused right in the middle of the road. Quickly, she stepped on the gas pedal, and did a quick U-turn back the way she came. While she appreciated the guys going out to search, and the girls co-ordinating where to search, all the areas were places that Troy would most likely be at. But Gabriella knew Troy better, and too well. Gabriella knew while Troy tried to avoid going to those places, when one was in stress, sometimes a bottle or two didn't look too bad. Gabriella headed off, determined to search every single bar and pub she could find.

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Mrs Bolton, Mr Bolton is everything alright?" Gabriella came crashing through the Bolton house door as soon as Diane had swung it opened. Gabriella was still wearing the faded green hooded sweater she had hastily thrown on when Diane had called twenty minutes ago. Her brown curls were drenched and matted against her soaked face as the rest of her body dripped in water, evidence to the pouring rain outside._

"_Thanks for coming Gabriella," Diane smiled tightly, letting the nineteen year old in. Having just came home for Spring Break after the end of their first semester in University, the last thing Gabriella had expected to find at home was her mom telling Gabriella to quickly put a sweater on and head to the Bolton's,_

"_Diane just called and she sounded urgent," Isabella told her daughter quickly. So after dropping off her suit case and carry on, Gabriella had thrown on the first thing she found in her suit case (a green sweater she had stolen-ahem-borrowed from Troy), and fled to her car and drove to Troy's house. Even having parked on the drive way, the rain soaked her to the bone after two seconds of being in it._

"_It's Troy," Jack said coming in and shoving his hands in his pocket, Gabriella's heart rate tripled, "We can't find him,"_

"_What do you mean you can't find him?" Gabriella asked shakily and not only because of the cold,_

"_Troy's break started the same time yours did, but he told us he'd come home early since he would be finished exams sooner. But he didn't come home this morning…and Chad said Troy had left the school before he did, he left right after exams," Diane said worriedly,_

"_Maybe he's just at the gym," Gabriella suggested,_

"_No, no, Jack drove around _everywhere_and we can't find him. I'm worried, Chad said Troy took his exams pretty hard…he said he hadn't slept for days," Diane wringed her hand, "So we called your mom…you know Troy better than anyone… we were hoping you'd know where he is,"_

"_Well you just listed all the places I'd suggest," Gabriella said sadly, unable to help, "But I'll drive around again, you should stay, it's pouring outside and I don't want both of you getting sick, I can call if I find anything,"_

"_Thank you so much Gabriella," Diane said softly. Gabriella didn't reply, but smiled slightly before heading back out to the stinging rain once more. For the next hour, Gabriella drove by every single gym, every single park and every single basketball court, and mall she could find. She went by their old high school, went to the banquet hall where they had their prom, and even back to their elementary school but found no luck. Just as she was about to give up and turn back, someone staggering in the rain caught her eyes._

_Soaked from head to toe, with dripping brown hair and holding a glass bottle, a freezing, nineteen year old Troy Bolton walked an unsteady line on the sidewalk. Swaying left and right and barely dodging a particularly low tree branch. Seeing as he was walking on the other side of the road, Gabriella immediately put her car in Park, grabbed an umbrella, and dashed out the car,_

"_Troy!"_

_If Troy had any recognition of the brunette running towards him, he didn't show any reaction. Regardless, he stopped as he squinted to see who had shouted his name, and was stupid enough to run after him in a simple sweater and jeans. _

"_Troy what do you think you're doing?" Gabriella shouted through the rain, finally reaching him. She didn't take notice of anything else, solely focused on shielding him from the rain. Unfortunately, Gabriella had went and grabbed a singles umbrella, and since Troy was so much taller and obviously much bigger, what was left of the umbrella didn't shield her much. _

"_Ga-Gabby-_hic_- what are you doing_-hic-_ here, you don't go to my uni_-hic­-_sity," Troy said in choppy sentences. He made a move to take another swing at the beer bottle in his hand, which Gabriella had taken notice at that moment,_

"_Troy Jonathan have you been drinking?" Gabriella glared at him, "You never drink! What are you doing to yourself?"_

"_Stupid_-hic-_coach…exams…basketball…so much_-hic­-_to do so li­_-hic-_ little time," Troy mumbled to himself, looking like a lost chid. Gabriella frowned slightly, and gently pried the bottle from his hand, emptying the contents out on the sidewalk, watching it wash away in the rain. Troy had his head down, and was looking unsteady on his feet,_

"_Come on, lets get you home," Gabriella finally sighed. With his arm around her shoulder and little help from the drunken one, Gabriella somehow managed to shuffle the two of them across the street and into her car. When they finally reached Troy's house, Jack came out, and helped Gabriella bring his son home. It took five minutes to have both Gabriella and Troy wrapped in thick towels, and a hot cup of tea in their hand. Diane and Jack thanked Gabriella endlessly, telling her that Chad had just called to tell them of his own failed search. None of them had thought of looking on sidewalks and for someone drunk because none of them would've ever thought Troy would drink._

_Neither did Gabriella but she was glad she found him. Gabriella stayed the night that day. Troy woke up with a blistering headache from his hung over and later dealt with the guilt of being drunk when Gabriella fell down with a fever no sooner after finding him. _

_That was the last time he had any type of alcohol._

_End of Flashback_

* * *

Gabriella had been driving around for an hour until she saw a familiar black Audi parked outside a bar. Finding a spot, Gabriella walked into the bar where (thankfully) there weren't a lot of people. It was only nine in the evening at the moment, and rush hour wasn't usually until ten, so it was quite easy to spot Troy, who was bent over the counter. Carefully, she made her way to him. When she placed a hand on his shoulder, he reacted so fast Gabriella pulled her hand away from him from a quick jolt of fear, Troy's blue eyes were burning with an angry fire and it was so intense it made the hair on Gabriella's neck stand up,

"Troy?" Gabriella called cautiously. She watched his eyes shift slightly as if his slightly intoxicated brain was sluggishly processing the voice that called his name. When his eyes softened slightly in recognition, Gabriella edged closed, "Troy… are you… are you alright?"

"Shh," Troy whispered dramatically, putting a finger to his lips, "Whisper, they're everywhere,"

"Who's everywhere?"

"The pap-_hic_- paparazzi," Troy's eyes darkened at the mention of the word, "They'll see everything you do and-_hic­_-and everything you say and do…"

"Troy is this about the magazine article…the one with you and Alex?"

"Don't!" Troy hissed louder this time, "They called me violent, I'm not violent! What I did was right!"

"Troy you punched him,"

"He was che-_hic_-cheating on you!" Troy shouted, and Gabriella was thankful the pub was almost empty, "He was with someone else, he doesn't deserve you Gabby, you deserve someone_-hic_-someone better then Al…Alan…no…Alfred…no…well whatever his name is,"

"Oh Troy…" Gabriella suddenly felt the guilt of losing contact with him even if it was only six days, she should've know of all people, Troy would be going to defend her honour, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Alex and I broke up, we haven't talked in a few days…"

"All my fault…" Troy mumbled so quietly Gabriella had to strain her ears to hear it, "All my fault you don't want to talk to me anymore…"

"Why would you say that?" Gabriella asked, shocked,

"Shouldn't have…shouldn't have kissed you… shouldn't have told you…and then kissed you…" Another swing from his drink "Ruined everything…"

"Troy Jonathan you look at me," Gabriella said strongly, "You did not ruin _anything_ alright? Yes I am mad at you for punching Alex but thank you for doing that…you thought he was hurting me and I appreciate it. And no…you didn't ruin anything Troy, I'm glad you told me and I hope you mean it because I feee…"

Now, Gabriella was not one to trail off. Anyone who knew her could tell you that. It would take something quite extraordinary, or very shocking to make Gabriella Erin Maria Montez trail off. Perhaps seeing Sharpay quit the drama industry, or maybe seeing Chad going to the library when there was clearly a basketball practice, but really, when would any of those happen? But it just so happens Gabriella had to now add another point to the list of things that could make her trail off. Troy's lips on hers for example.

In his drunken state, Troy tried to listen to what Gabriella was trying to say, but with all the alcohol currently in his system, and Gabriella's fuzzy image going in and out, her words entered one ear and left the next without stopping by his brain to be processed. All he heard was her melodic voice echoing in his head, and his eyes stuck on her moving lips that moved to words he didn't understand, and all of a sudden, all he wanted to do was for them to stop moving. And since his hands were so occupied in holding his cup, he would have to resort to his own mouth, since his wasn't doing anything at all. So he did…and brought it down to hers.

Whatever Gabriella had been saying or had been thinking to say died instantly the moment their lips touched. Gabriella knew Troy was drunk, and chances are he had no idea what he was doing, but that notion was also wiped from her mind as all she was focusing on was his lips on hers. When they finally pulled apart, Gabriella had managed to hold down the majority of her blush (although she still looked like a tomato) and focus on Troy's face,

"Troy, I feel the same way about you," Gabriella summoned her courage, "I care about you…more than I've cared about anyone in my entire life," and she waited for his response. Troy looked at her for a second, and Gabriella thought he was going to say something, but then Troy's eyes drooped, and he went out cold, leaning on Gabriella's shoulder. Gabriella didn't know whether or not to laugh…or cry. She had tried to express her feelings three times, and as soon as she got close…something interrupted and she would never be able to finish it.

Maybe…maybe Troy just wasn't meant to know it. Gabriella looked at the man in her arms shifting slightly against her. Gabriella wondered if he had heard her at all…Gabriella wondered that maybe…just maybe it was time to move on.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the late update!! I'm trying to write as much as I can. Wow the last part was like leading you up then making it crash right in front of your faces! Don't worry, trust me when I say Troy and Gabriella WILL get together.**


	23. Emptiness

* * *

Hello everyone, and thank you so much for reviewing! I'm sorry for the late update, I was planning on writing this last week on my day off but I ended up working as well. The story is going to wrap up soon, maybe in 2-3 more chapters. Thank you for all your support.

I've decided to stop writing updates on the HSM cast, it's just a lot of work to keep track, of course, and I will tell you major stuff about the cast.

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 23: Emptiness_

* * *

For someone who only drank once or twice in his entire life time, Troy was quite proud to say that he doesn't get drunk easily, and when he did, he prided the fact that he was able to remain coherent (ok maybe semi coherent, but lucid enough anyway) to be aware of his surroundings. When he drank, it was either because it was for a celebration…or because he was under stress. When Troy walked into the bar earlier that day, he was burdened with a problem he never thought he would have to feel. If someone had told him when he was ten, that he would be contemplating the fact that he liked his best friend as more than a friend, and wanted to be with her and might go as far as loving her, he would've said they were crazy and insane.

Completely insane and impossible.

Of course that was only _if_ he was ten years old, but he wasn't. He was twenty-four, an adult, and knew exactly what he wanted…and he wanted his best friend to be his girlfriend. It's funny how people realize things so much easier when they were half unconscious and completely intoxicated. Somewhere between his fifth beer and the room swirling in circles faster than the last time, he felt someone touch his shoulder. He vaguely remembered turning to the person and thought that he had died form drinking too much and damaging his liver, and saw an angel.

The brunette angel (who looked oddly like his Gabby, but Gabby couldn't be dead) spoke something to him, and he had replied and shamefully looked down. When he dared to take a glimpse at her again, he was unexplainably drawn to her lips, and so he did what every other simple minded, drunken male would do…and he kissed her. The angel stopped talking as soon as he did, and seeing as she didn't slap him Troy held his face there. Slowly…ever so slowly, Troy began to recognize the lips he was kissing. Even though they had only kissed twice, his mind had memorized every single detail and feel of her lips, and he knew it was Gabriella that this angel was his Gabby. Struggling, Troy tried to speak, but she beat him to it.

_Troy I feel the same way about you…_ same way…what way? Wait…same way…did she like him back?? _I care about you…more than I've cared about anyone in my entire life_… she was confessing to him!! Damn it why the hell did he drink so much?? Troy struggled to open his eyes, and for a second, the two locked eyes, desperately, he opened his mouth to tell her he was so glad that she felt the same way, that he couldn't live without her…that he wanted to kiss her again. But then the five and a half bottles of beers he had drank began to come back at full force, and before he could utter a single word, his eyes rolled back, and Troy was knocked out cold.

-

-

"If he doesn't wake up soon, forget the coach, _I'll_ kill him!"

"Chad can you at least try to be sensible?"

"I am, I'm sensible enough not to pour water on him,"

"He's had a hard night…"

"We're going to have a hard night at semis tonight if he doesn't wake up!!"

Troy groaned in his bed, the voices echoing painfully in his mind. His brain felt like it had turned to a pile of slime and his skull felt hollow and empty, so the voices that were currently disturbing his blissful sleep sounded ten times as loud.

"You're going to have a hard time playing tonight if you're stuck in the hospital," Troy groaned, finally and regretfully opening his eyes. The sunlight blasted into his eyes, causing him to shut them again and regretting the fact that he didn't just ignore Taylor and Chad who were currently in his house. Why did he ever tell Taylor about the key under the mat outside?

"Oh that's a nice way to thank the person who went to walk and feed your dog," Chad scoffed,

"Thanks Tay," Troy grumbled into his pillow. Taylor laughed softly,

"I'll get some tea boiling, and get an ice pack and some painkillers," Taylor said,

"Top left cabinet, it's above the sink," Troy mumbled in return in a thankful and appreciative voice. His body felt like lead, and his brain, which was starting to solidify itself once more, was slowly, very slowly beginning to turn and process last night's memories.

"It's four hours before basketball prep," Chad said once Taylor was out,

"Shit…" Troy groaned, forcing his muscles to start working, "I have to get to the gym in two hours," he remained motionless.

"You know, to move you actually have to physically move your body from the bed to the second destination? You know like… point A to point B?" Chad said with sarcasm.

"Glad to see you learned something in high school," Troy retorted dryly, "Ugh my head is killing me,"

"That's what happens when you drink," Taylor said coming in once more with a steaming cup of tea, a warm glass of water, some toast and two tablets of Advil pain relief all on a tray, "I would've made something more, but bread was all I found," Taylor added, Troy shook his head (slowly to avoid more migraines), thanking Taylor and taking the tray,

"Gabby's the only one that can find her way around my kitchen properly," Troy said casually, stuffing a piece of toast in his mouth. He swallowed it with slight difficulty, carefully took a sip of tea (and nearly sighed in relief as his headache calmed down), and downed his two pills.

"So you two took me home then?" Troy asked once the roaring in his brain stopped. He remembered driving himself to a bar after the less than happy talk he had with his coach. At first he wanted to find Gabriella, but after the episode in his car, he didn't know if he could face her without him spilling his heart again, and so he had driven to the nearest bar, and drank down his worries and anger.

"Not exactly…" Chad said,

"What do you mean not exactly? I don't remember driving home," Troy said,

"At the state you were in when we came, you'd be lucky to remember how to put a shirt on," Taylor said, "Gabby found you," Troy's heart tripled at her name, and his stomach lurched and not because of the alcohol.

"Brie?"

"Sharpay and I called her when we found out about the article problem," Taylor said carefully, "She said she'd look around for you, and about an hour later, she called us and said she had found you at a bar,"

"Shar couldn't leave, to Tay called me and we drove over," Chad took over, "Dude you were completely wasted, you weren't even conscious and you kept mumbling. Gabby just handed you to us, and told us to take you home," Throughout the entire story Troy remained silent, his brain now working faster and clearing the fog. He vaguely remembered someone picking him up, but it was an entirely different level to the warmness he felt from the first person that had found him.

_I feel the same way about you_

Troy's eyes slowly widened as last night's memories came washing back. Gabriella had found him, she had found him half wasted at a bar, she had found him half wasted at a bar and confessed her feelings to him and…and… he had completely blacked out right after!

"Shit," Troy groaned, "I have the worse luck,"

"Tell me about it…anyway are you going to get up soon? You'd have to take a quick shower if you want to make it to the gym on time," Chad said, reverting back to his previous problem, but that was the last of Troy's problem,

"Gabby told me how she felt last night…and I blacked out on her," Troy groaned, keeping his head in his hands. Chad froze and Taylor gasped softly,

"Oh no…Gabby…no wonder she was so..." Taylor trailed off, Troy's head snapped up,

"Gabby was so what?" Taylor remained silent, "Taylor, what was wrong?" Troy insisted,

"Nothing was like drastically wrong," Taylor quickly said, seeing a look of worry on Troy's face, "She just looked a bit out of it, and she was really quiet. Usually she'd come along with us without question, but last night…well she looked sort of upset…and she just left without saying anything,"

"What'd you say," Chad suddenly said in a serious tone, surprising Taylor and Troy,

"What do you mean by that?" Taylor asked suspiciously. She placed her hands on both sides of her waist in a stern stance, and glared at the two males, "Chad Brandon Danfourth what are you hiding from me?" Chad ignored her,

"Troy what did you say?"

"I…I don't really remember, I said something…" Troy mumbled, raking his mind for the bits and pieces of last night's memories, "Do you think I said something wrong?"

"When someone's drunk like you were, you're bound to say something wrong," Chad said, "Wait, did you tell her _again_?"

"Tell her?" Taylor asked confused, "Wait you told her you—"

"Yes I told her I loved her alright?" Troy snapped, "And she already knew so it couldn't be that,"

"Well…well did she say anything to you?" Taylor asked in a shaky voice. Out of the three people in the room, Taylor would have to be the most sensible and logical one. She would also have to be the smartest in the room, and along with women intuition, Taylor connected the dots before Chad could process the sentence, and Troy could realize what was really going on.

_I care about you more than I've cared about anyone else in my entire life_

"She said…she said she cared about me," Troy said slowly, as if speaking to himself. Chad and Taylor were no longer in the room, and he could only think about what had happened the night before. "Oh I screwed things up big time," Troy looked up at Taylor, "Do you know where she is?" he asked hopefully, Taylor shook her head,

"At home right now probably, I'm not sure if she has worked today…"

"She does," Troy answered automatically, "evening shift, which means she's at home now," Troy began quickly shuffling out of bed, almost tripping over his carelessly disregarded shoes from last night.

"Troy," Taylor said cautiously, "Maybe you should go to your prep first,"

"What?" Troy asked startled, Taylor was the last person he thought would try to stop him from going to Gabriella,

"You're already in some major trouble with your coach, if you skip prep, he'll take you out of the semis completely," Taylor said logically,

"I don't really give a damn," Troy said, ignoring Chad's bulging eyes, "I want to get to Gabby,"

"She won't want you to miss what might be the biggest game in your life for her," Taylor added, "You know how she is, she'll get really guilty, and having her feel guilty in the middle of an important conversation might not get the results you want, you'll get to see her tonight." Troy paused for a moment. Taylor had a point... knowing Gabriella, she probably would've scolded at him for being kicked out of semis before even realizing he was asking her to be his girlfriend.

"I guess…" Troy said reluctantly. He knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate as long as this topic was on his mind. At least with basketballs, he can take out his frustration at being so intolerant to alcohol. Of all nights to get knocked out it had to be last night.

"Chad I'm going to take the car, Troy if you could give Chad a ride to the gym, that would be great," Taylor smiled. Troy nodded, making his way to the washroom.

-

-

"You know I'm proud of you Gabby,"

"I know mom,"

"And I know you're an adult, and these decisions should be left up to you…"

"I sense a 'but'…" Gabriella stopped what she was doing, and looked up from the big, black suitcase that was currently half filled with the contents from her half empty closet. Isabella Montez lifted a semi folded t-shirt from the suit case, unfolded it, and neatly folded up again and putting it back in the form of a neat little square. She ran her hands over the shirt to rid any wrinkles it might've had,

"I just hope you know you're making the right one," Isabella said simply,

"Mami, Europe is a great place for medicine, I'm lucky I get to go before I'm out of school, even Rachel hasn't been to Europe yet," Gabriella said, "It's the perfect place to expand on my career,"

"I'm not talking about your career though," Isabella said wisely, "I just don't want you to regret this mi hija,"

"I won't," Gabriella said firmly to her mother, _"I can't regret this,"_

"Have you told Troy?" Isabella finally asked the question that had been keen in her mind for the past hour she had been at Gabriella's house. It was also the question Gabriella had been dreading ever since her mom called her to tell her she'd be coming over to help her pack.

"Not really," Gabriella said, trying to sound dismissive. She found a long t-shirt, and began folding it,

"You haven't told him? He's your best friend Gabby," Isabella protested,

"I will tell him, I just don't know when," Gabriella said distractedly,

"Gabby you're leaving in two weeks!"

"I know mom!" Gabriella snapped, abandoning the t-shirt she had been trying to fold for the past five minutes, "I just… I don't know how to tell him…if I tell him, and he looks at me, I won't want to leave." Gabriella admitted softly, "He'll make me not want to leave."

"Gabriella," Isabella sat in front of her, and took Gabriella's hand, "Tell him how you feel, you won't be happy without at least knowing his answer," sometimes, Gabriella wished her mom wasn't like her best friend, and was like all the other moms who were too embarrassed to talk to their daughters about dating, and falling in love. Sometimes she wished she was like all the other young women, and had grown up being too embarrassed to talk to her own mother about stuff like that.

But that was only sometimes, most times, Gabriella loved her mother, because she was always right. Honestly it was both a blessing and a curse. Her mom was always right and her advise had always made her feel better…but because she was always right Gabriella faced things she wasn't ready, or didn't really want to face,

"I just need this trip to take my mind off some things," Gabriella finally said. Isabella only smiled softly, and brushed the side of Gabriella's face,

"If you say so mi hija,"

* * *

"_Bye Gabby, see you tomorrow!"_

"_Bye Troy, remember to finish your homework!"_

"_Aw Gabby!" Troy pouted as he leaped down the final steps off the porch of the Montez house. Diane Bolton laughed from her spot by the wheel, waving at Isabella and little Gabriella who were standing by the door to bid the young boy good bye,_

"_Thanks so much Isabella," Diane smiled,_

"_No problem, Troy was the perfect gentleman, and it was nice having an extra hand with the dishes," Isabella replied, Diane thanked her once again as she put her car in reverse, and started pulling out of the Montez's driveway. Troy rolled down his wonder, and shoved the top half of his body out, waving enthusiastically. It was until Diane's light scolding did Troy returned to his seat with a huff and crossed arms. Gabriella giggled as she and Isabella made their way back into the house,_

"_So what did you kids do upstairs after dinner?" Isabella asked, Gabriella shrugged, the ten year old standing on the tip of her toes to retrieve the extra napkins from the table,_

"_We did math homework," Gabriella grinned softly, Isabella laughed, "and we talked about the movie we watched in class today,"_

_  
"Oh? Was it a good movie?"_

"_It was ok, Chad didn't like it but I thought it was sweet, the two main characters got together in the end," Gabriella said brightly, perking up, "Oh mommy guess what?"_

"_What's that?"_

"_Troy and I made a pinkie promise!"_

_Isabella chuckled, Troy was really lenient for Gabriella, "About what sweetheart?"_

"_We said we'd marry each other when we turn 25 if we don't get married!"_

_If Isabella Montez had already drunk the cup of water in her hand, she would've spit the entire content out. As a matter of fact, that was exactly what Jack Bolton did when Troy and Diane returned home. After dropping his backpack off, and showed his mom his completed homework (except math), Troy had taken a quick shower, and was getting ready for bed when he hopped downstairs to where his parents were watching TV,_

"_Guess what?" Troy said, jumping up and down,_

"_What's that honey?" Diane smiled,_

"_Gabby and I are gonna get married when we're 25!" Troy said. He skipped back to his room, and so missed Jack's show of emptying his mouth of water, and Diane dropping the book she was reading, before bursting into laughter at Jack's bewildered face._

"_D-Did he, did he just say he was getting married?" Jack sputtered, Diane nodded, "Our son, married, he promised to get married—"_

"_And if he's a Bolton, then we know he'll definitely keep his word," Diane chuckled. She rose, and wisely removed Jack's cup of half filled glass from his grasp._

* * *

**Basketball Arena**

**7:00PM – Thirty minutes to semis **

"Bolton, concentrate!" the coach roared from the sidelines. As the stands continued to be filled with bodies holding posters, popcorn and drinks, the LA Lakers took over the right half of the arena, all players on court shooting free throws, practicing passes and reviewing strategies. On the right side of the court, the red and black of the Chicago Bulls dominated the opposite side with similar drills of their own. Tonight's semi would determine whether the Lakers would make it to Championships to face the defending champions, the Boston Celtics.

Troy snapped out of his horribly timed day dream as he made another chest pass to Chad, who looked at him meaningfully and sternly before continuing the drill. Why had the memory of their pinkie promise come up now, especially when it had nothing to do with his present situation?

Troy remembered going to school the day after making the promise. He and Gabriella met in class as usual, and neither brought up the pinkie swear they had made in Gabriella's room (_"we're too old to be making pinkie promises anyway,"_ the then ten year old Troy had thought). It wasn't until the teacher began reviewing the movie they had watched, did the promise that had been buried near the surface rose up again. Troy had met Gabriella's eyes, and they both smiled softly and blushed, listening to their teacher but not really thinking about the movie itself.

Troy had then thought that maybe marrying Gabriella wouldn't be that bad…she was his best friend after all…and she did let him play all the basketball he wanted…sometimes she would join him too! Who could ask for anyone better than that?

"Heads up!" came a shout. Troy shook his head, returning to his twenty-four year old self fast enough to swiftly catch the incoming orange object. There were shouts of 'nice catch Troy' and 'nice one' from various teammates, before their coach called them in for the traditional five minute pep talk. Their semi finals would begin in fifteen minutes, and Troy took a brief glance at the empty seat that should've held Gabriella between Sharpay and Taylor…if she was here.

-

-

"Shoot, shoot, shoot!" Gabriella muttered under her breath as she made her way to the arena. She was so late! The packing had taken longer than she had anticipated (who knew she had _that_ many shoes?), and by the time she and Isabella had finished their little chat, Gabriella had realized too late that she was supposed to be at Troy's semi finals. Even if Troy wasn't meant to know her feelings for him, Gabriella was still determined to be his best friend, and to be there to support him during one of the biggest games of his life.

_Ring—ring—_

"Hello?"

"_Gabriella?"_

"Rachel?"

"_Oh thank goodness I caught you, are you at home?"_ Rachel asked,

"No, I'm out right now,"

"_Are you near the hospital?"_

"Um…" Gabriella took a glance out her window and at the street name, "I'm about five minutes away from the hospital, what's wrong?"

"_Oh no I just need you to come up for a few minutes, it's about some documents for the Europe transfer."_ Rachel said.

"Actually…" Gabriella hesitated, "I need to be somewhere else right now…I'm really late and my friends are expecting me,"

"_I know and I'm terribly sorry about such a notice,"_ Rachel said, _"it's just that these documents are crucial to your trip, and I need them done tonight to be handed in on time, it'll only take a bit,"_ Gabriella bit the bottom of her lip, torn between Troy and the path she had decided to take. She had promised Troy she'd be there, she had never missed on of his games deliberately…she had always been there for him…always…

"I guess a few minutes wouldn't be too bad," Gabriella said quietly.

"_Great! I'll see you in five,"_ and Rachel hung up. Sighing, Gabriella took the exit to her right, saying a quick sorry. It would only take a few minutes… a few minutes later, Gabriella will be back in her car and on the way to Troy's game.

* * *

_**And the Bulls lead eighty-three to seventy-five, and this signals our half time! The Lakers really need to work if they want to pull up those eight points! NBA semi-finals will begin again after a short break!**_

The LA Lakers returned to the benches as a group, sweat dripping down their brows, their jerseys stuck to their body which was slick was sweat. The entire team all sat down, taking their bottles and drowning the liquid.

"Alright boys we've got to pull this together!" their coach said sternly, "We're eight points behind, and we've got another half to go. If we can bring it up we can win this you here me?" the team cheered over the bouncy and energetic song the dancers on center court were currently dancing to.

Troy found his spot by the edge of the bench, Chad joining him a few seconds later. Both of their hearts were pounding, having been on court the most,

"Eight points, damn it we need it," Chad muttered as he always did during break, his brain filled with nothing but basketball tactics and the strategies they had developed and perfected during practices. Normally, Troy would also have a similar frame of mind, but now, he couldn't take his mind off Gabriella. As Troy took his millionth glance at the gang, who were all seated on the right side of the court with floor seats, the seat between Taylor and Sharpay remained empty. Sharpay caught Troy's eyes, and tried to smile, but it only came out as a grimace.

The seat, like the sudden hollowness in his mind and heart, was empty.

* * *

**A/N: Oh my goodness I can't believe it took me THIS long to finish this chapter! It seems like I underestimated the power of school and work. I'm sorry, I didn't plan on leaving the chapter this way, but I also didn't plan on not updating for so long, so I really needed to get this out. Hopefully the next chapter will come soon. The story's almost ending! The next couple of chapters might be a bit longer and rushed since I'm a bit behind schedule.**


	24. Here's Our Chance

Wow, I can't believe it's been a year since I've started this story. Sorry for the late update, and the long suspense, but I hope this chapter will make up for it. Thank you for all your support!

**Zac and Vanessa recently went to Sweden to promote HSM3 (it premieres on October 3****rd**** over there). After two days of promotion, Zac and Vanessa were joined by co-stars Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu on their France promotional tour (the movie will be out October 22****nd**** over there). HSM3 is due to come out October 24****th**** for us, so go and support the cast and make it a blockbuster hit!**

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 24: Here's our chance_

* * *

"_How did a couple minutes become almost two hours?" _Gabriella screamed in her mind as she sped down the nearly empty road, the lights of the stadium lulling her. The spotlights flashed in the air, illuminating navy skies, yet there wasn't a single star in the sky. It was like even the skies were blaming her for being late to Troy's game. What was only supposed to be a few minutes visit to sign some forms to ensure proper visa and visiting confirmation turned into an hour long scavenger hunt when they realized the hospital had misplaced Gabriella's transfer papers. That led to having to call Gabriella's university and the hospital administrative office, and the unfortunate fact was that it was nearly eight in the evening, and most offices would've been closed.

Half an hour of being on hold after, they finally located the proper papers and Gabriella signed them in haste. She could've managed to have gotten out of the hospital an hour early had reality decided to be nice to her. But it didn't and apparently found great joy in delaying her. Once out of Rachel's office and in the lobby, only five steps away from the exit, Gabriella realized she had left her purse in the office. Cursing her own forgetfulness, she ran back to the elevator and dashed in, nearly giving the patent inside a heart attack. Once in Rachel's office, Gabriella apologized quickly and grabbed her bag, taking her cell phone out to check the time. It was quarter past nine, and by her calculations, the game would've hit half time—or rather, past half time already. A red arrow signalling a missed call caught her attention, but when she went to check the call, her almost non existent battery finally died on her, and the screen turned black.

"Damn it!" Gabriella cursed silently quickening her pace towards the main entrance of the hospital. When she passed the front desk, someone calling her name stopped her in her tracks. Tempted to just ignore the person, Gabriella turned around,

"Gabriella? Oh thank goodness I caught you, I was about to call up to Rachel's office," said the front desk secretary, the corded phone was held against her ear and she was obviously talking to someone and had interrupted them when she had seen her coming, she held out a corded phone, "Someone just called for you." Confused, Gabriella headed for the phone-who would call her at the hospital? Surely the gang would know she was already off?

"Hello?" Gabriella greeted. The other line was silent, "Hello who is this?" Silent again. Straining her ears, Gabriella heard shuffling and noises that sounded like echoes indicating that someone was on the other line. Getting frustrated, Gabriella returned the phone, "No one's on the other line," Gabriella said, giving the phone back. The brunette then resumed her mad dash out the door. The secretary was perplexed for a second before putting the phone against her ears again. She caught a second of muted silence before she heard the dial tone.

By the time Gabriella got out of the parking lot at the hospital, she was already late.

All in all, this was not a good night for her.

She pulled into the filled parking lot of the arena, and scrambled to find a space. She found one near the end of the parking lot, and quickly making sure her car was locked, made a mad dash towards the entrance of the arena. Her heels clicked every time it hit the cement, and she had half a mind to kick them off and run barefooted. Out of breath and flushed, Gabriella handed her ticket over to the man standing there who looked at her weirdly.

"The game's almost over miss…"

"I-I need to…need to get in," Gabriella managed to get out in a breathless voice, an angry stitching feeling prickling just under her ribcage, she placed a hand on her diaphragm, breathing in and out. The man shrugged, ripping the end of her front row ticket, and giving the stub back to her. Gabriella was once again dashing down the hall, the TVs hanging on the side of the corridor giving a play by play on the current game.

"—**oh and Lakers coach just benched Bolton, what a move!"** Gabriella froze as the announcer's voice was drowned by the roars from the crowd. Gabriella looked up at the nearest TV, and lo and behold, the camera was zooming in and aiming at Troy's sweating face and angry eyes. His lips were in a tight line, and his eyes trained tightly ahead. As the camera zoomed out at a wider angle, Gabriella saw the way he clenched his fist in his shorts, and while others may believe he didn't think much of the sudden benching; his eyes told a different story. His blue eyes exploded in a cold fire of fury.

"**A dangerous move by the Lakers coach and Goldstrem is sent in to replace Bolton! Lakers are behind by eight points with only ten minutes on the clock!"**

Anything that came out of the TV screens fell on deaf ears as Gabriella raced to the entrance to the first row in the arena, oblivious to the fact that employees and guests were looking at her weirdly, paying no mind to whatever sponsors provided the commentary and live showing of the game. All she wanted to do was enter the arena and try to find Troy.

-

-

Troy tried not to send death glares to his coach or to Michael Goldstrem every five seconds. So he decided to limit it, and sent his coach death glares every thirty seconds and death glares for Goldstrem every fifteen seconds. Who did his coach think he was, taking him out of the game?? They were almost ten points behind with less than ten minutes to go! If he had a piece of tissue or anything that could be easily reduced to shreds, it would've been tiny pieces of particles on the floor right now.

"**Oh and the ball is stolen from the Lakers again and heads down the court!"** Troy emitted an annoyed and frustrated growl, and kept his emotions in check—which was easier said than done since he wanted so badly to shoot out of his seat and curse is own team. The crowd behind him were growing restless; he was not the only one upset that the coach had taken him off the court. All of LA wanted the Lakers to win the semis to get to championships, and taking Troy Bolton out of the game wasn't the right track to do it. Troy wondered how his dad would feel as he watched his, his own son out of the game… Troy wondered how Gabriella felt about him out of the game…that is _if_ she was even watching the game.

Troy had long given up sending glances to the forever empty seat where the rest of his friends sat. No matter how often he glanced at it, Gabriella would not miraculously appear. She was simply not there. To say that didn't distract Troy would be a lie. It was perhaps the number one thing that distracted him tonight; not the fact that they were in the semi-finals, not the daunting prospect of becoming champions, but the fact that his best friend had not showed up. Every time he scored a free throw he would not hear the excited and proud cry from her, every time he scored a two or three pointed, he would not see the brown eyes glittering out from the crowd because she wasn't there.

Sharpay sat behind the Lakers bench, and looked worriedly at Troy's back.

"He's upset," Sharpay said as quietly as possible,

"He's furious!" Taylor corrected from beside her, her eyes also on Troy, but straying back on the court as well.

"I would be if I got pulled out of the last quarter of semis," Ryan said, "It's like getting fired from lead role right before opening night,"

"I think he's more upset that Gabby isn't here," Zeke said, "How many times did you see him look over at us? I can tell you he isn't looking for us,"

"Gabby," Kelsi spoke up,

"Where is she anyway?" Jason asked,

"No, its Gabriella," Kelsi stood up, making the rest of the gang stand to follow her.

Troy's head shot up at her name. The din of the crowd behind him was still as loud as ever, but there was no one he could miss her name…not her name. Not the name that had been in his mind since he was 4, the name he's learned to take comfort in ever since they shared cookies at the park. He looked up, and like a moth drawn to fire, his eyes found her.

Gabriella felt his stare before she even found him. Her eyes followed a link that had been laid out for her, and they locked eyes and she wanted to cry. Cry because he looked so upset, so frustrated…and so disappointed. She wanted to run down the court, and hug him with all her might. But just as quickly as they had locked eyes, he looked down, breaking their connection and sending hurt through Gabriella's heart. She made her silent way towards the crowd,

"Gabby!" Taylor said in a hushed whisper. There was some shuffling around as the guys automatically made the move to clear a seat beside Sharpay. Gabriella smiled thankfully at Zeke as he vacated his seat beside his fiancée and took the empty seat,

"Hi," she said softly,

"Where were you? Game's almost over we were getting worried," Sharpay whispered,

"I got…held back," Gabriella said slowly, Taylor caught on,

"Wait, didn't your mom say something about a transfer? Is that what it is?" Taylor asked which drew the attention of the rest of the gang. Gabriella nodded mutely,

"What transfer? Are you switching hospitals? I thought your internship makes you stay at one hospital," Jason shot the questions out all at once,

"No it's nothing I'll tell you guys later," Gabriella said in a hushed tone, her eyes focused on Troy's slouched back. Oh how she wished he would just turn around ever for one second. She was getting more upset by the minute waiting for him to acknowledge her.

"He was looking for you all night," Sharpay whispered. Gabriella nodded, so why wasn't he looking at her now?

* * *

"**And what a night ladies and gentlemen! After a close call, Danfourth scores a three pointer, wining the game for the Lakers by one point! Ladies and Gentlemen your very own Lakers are moving on to the Championships! Thank you for coming tonight and have a save drive home!" **the crowd began to disperse, voices erupting almost as soon as their bottoms left the seat, no doubt giving their own excited, albeit biased version play by play of the nights game.The gang followed suit, mixing in the crowd of exiting bodies. As usual, they met outside by the side where the actual players would exit to avoid causing a commotion with fans. Troy came out earlier than usual, and without Chad,

"Hey man, good game," Zeke grinned, slapping Troy on the shoulder in a show of manly support. Jason did the same thing. Troy gave a forced smile and a half hearted shrug and said nothing.

"And there's the man of the hour!" Ryan laughed as Chad exited with a broad grin on his face. Taylor nearly flew to him, and crashed into him in a hug. The rest of the gang laughed,

"Don't let him get this to his head now, you know how big it is already," Taylor teased, "Can't have it more inflated,"

"Hey!" Chad shouted in mock anger, the bushy haired athlete went up to Troy, "Hey you alright man?"

"Yea I'm fine,"

"It was a good game, and coach had no reason to send you out," Chad said loyally, fulfilling his best friend duty and role. Troy smiled,

"My head wasn't in the game tonight anyway," a discreet look towards Gabriella, "You did good tonight, the last minute shot was classic,"

"It was wasn't it?" Chad said proudly, puffing out his chest,

"Oh no I see the inflation now, someone get a needle," Sharpay smirked. Through the congratulations, Troy slipped away unnoticed, the wind rustling against his hair. Gabriella noticed the lack of his presence right away, and uttered a made up excuse, and hurried after him.

"Troy!" Gabriella ran up to him, grabbing his swaying hand. She felt her heart freeze and frowned when he jerked away from her touch and stopped a few inches ahead of her,

"What?"

"I wanted to see if you were alright," Gabriella said slowly, aware of his mood,

"I'm fine,"

"You just walked away,"

"I needed some air,"

"Oh…" silence…such a heavy silence Gabriella felt like she was suffocating, "I saw the game…"

"Oh so you came," Troy didn't mean for it to come out so harshly and so cold, but it did, and a part of him was quite pleased. Gabriella winced at his tone,

"I was late… and I'm sorry." Gabriella apologized, "My cell phone rang out of batteries so I couldn't call…I uh I was at the hospital, doing some extra paper work,"

"I see,"

"Troy are you alright?" Gabriella asked worriedly,

"Why do you care?" Troy retorted harshly and he turned around. His face was tight, and his mouth in an upside down smile, his eyes burning into her. At the same time, a fire of indignation lit up in Gabriella. What had she done for him to treat her this way? She was just worried about him!

"You're my best friend; of course I worry about you!" Gabriella retorted just as angrily, "I want to help you,"

"You can't,"

"Well how the hell can I if you don't tell me anything!" Gabriella shouted. Her voice echoed in the night, and the light chatter from the gang behind them came to an abrupt stop when they realized the two of them were right there. Troy started at those words as if it had pained him physically. It was more like a slap to the face, all of a sudden his mouth let out a rather dry laugh,

"I don't tell you anything? That's rich coming from you,"

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't tell you anything?" Troy asked his voice suddenly dead serious, "Just like you didn't tell me about your transfer to Europe?" Gabriella's face reflected shock and a slight sign of regret,

"How…how did you find out?" Gabriella stuttered. Troy looked straight into her eyes, and Gabriella realized she might not like the story that she was going to be told.

_Flashback_

"_**And that's half time ladies and gentlemen! Please welcome, the wonder, the beautiful Lakers Cheerleaders!" **__The crowd exploded in cheers as the group of girls ran to center stage in a flurry of pompoms. Troy ran in with the rest of his team, sweat slick on his face and glistening under the hot spotlight of the stadium. In the change room, the rest of his teammates were already sitting down, some squirting out water from their bottle to cool their boiling skin._

"_Great game boys, we're in the lead but it's still too tight, I want you to get your head in the game you hear?" the coach came running in, his face screwed up in determination. The team answered in a confident roar as they took their precious ten minutes off court. Troy found a relatively quiet corner-quite a difficult feat considering the number of grown, sweating, loud men in the room. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and dialled Gabriella's cell phone. It rang for a few seconds before the ringing was cut short,_

"_**Hey you've reached Gabriella; I'm not here at the moment but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! Thanks! **_**Beep—**_**" **__Troy hung up before the beep finished. Getting slightly worried, Troy decided to call the hospital. He knew she wasn't working tonight, which would mean that the chances of her being there would be slim. But knowing Gabriella, and her approaching examinations, Troy wouldn't be surprised if she had decided to go in for the day just to study. _

"_**Hello, Los Angeles Hospital,"**__ came the receptionist's voice,_

"_Uh Hi, I'm looking for Gabriella Montez," Troy cleared his voice trying to filter out the noise from his teammates. _

"_**Oh she's in with her supervisor right now,"**_

"_I'm a friend of hers and we were sort of expecting her a while ago, is anything wrong, if you don't mind me asking,"_ _Troy quickly side,_

"_**Oh nothing's wrong; she was just called into fill out some final forms for her transfer,"**_

_That was a surprise. "A transfer? Is she switching hospitals?" Troy asked in confusion._

"_**Oh no nothing like that, she was selected to go for a transfer to Europe, it's really a once in a life time opportunity, so she's here signing some forms,"**_

_Europe? That's half way across the world! How come she didn't tell him anything? "Oh… I see thank you…" Troy suddenly forgot that he was in a stadium, playing for the semi finals. All he could think about was Gabriella, thousands of miles away from him…and she didn't tell him._

"_**Should I leave a message for her—oh wait a second there she is! Gabriella!"**_ _whatever the receptionist said over the phone (maybe not to him) Troy had toned out. Why hadn't Gabriella told him she was going to move? All the way to Europe too! Did she think he wouldn't let her go? Well of course he wouldn't, but it wasn't like Troy was going to tell her out loud. Troy knew this was an opportunity of a life time for her, and if Gabriella had really wanted to go, who was Troy to stop her? But he wished he had found out from her, and not some random receptionist on the phone._

"_**Hello?"**__ the sweet voice he had memorized so long ago knocked him out of his thoughts, and Troy found himself speechless. He didn't know what to say. Should he act innocent and pretend not to know anything about her moving and leaving him? No, he couldn't possibly do that… if was afraid if he opened his mouth, he'd start yelling and screaming at her to not let her go. __**"Hello who is this?"**_ _from behind Troy, his teammates began shuffling around, slamming lockers shut to get ready to get back into the game. There was shuffling from Gabriella's end of the phone too, and Troy quickly hung up. He followed the rest of his team out of the court, but he wouldn't be much help._

_End of Flashback_

"Were you planning to tell me at all?" Troy asked coldly,

"I was, I mean I was going to, I just… it was so sudden and you were so busy and I was so busy we just… I didn't have the time," Gabriella tried to explain, none of the excuses she told him sat well with her, and judging from Troy's expression, it didn't sit well with him either.

"And when exactly were you going to tell me?" Troy retorted. He didn't care the rest of the gang had came up to them and surrounded the two, his mind was determined to find an answer, "Were you going to call me five minutes before getting on the plane? 'Oh Troy I'm going to Europe now, so I won't see you for a couple of years, thanks for the nineteen years of friendship, bye!'" Troy said mockingly. Gabriella wiped angry tears from her eyes; her cheeks flushed red with anger.

"You're a jerk you know that," Gabriella shouted, "I was going to tell you tonight after your game, but I was late. I speed down here, almost got killed rushing through a red light, I run down this stupid hallway to see you get benched. I try to comfort you, and help _my best friend_ and instead I get this,"

"Well you should've told me in the first place," Troy retorted childishly,

"How? When was I supposed to tell you? I wanted to talk to you too but you ignored me, we ignored each other for days! Tell me where you were when _I_ needed my best friend?" Gabriella cried. Without waiting for an answer, Gabriella swirled around, and stomped away from him, forgetting that her car was the other way. But as long as she didn't have to go past Troy, and have him see her tears, she didn't care if she had to walk home.

"What did you do?" Ryan said in all seriousness, all mirth gone from his eyes.

"Nothing," Troy said stubbornly,

"Like hell it is!" Taylor burst out angrily, "I don't know if you saw, but when she left, her eyes were as red and puffy as you're going to be if you don't start talking," Taylor threatened,

"I found out about her transfer," Troy mumbled, "She's going all the way to Europe, and she didn't even tell me,"

"How did you know she didn't want to tell you?" Ryan asked,

"Well if she did she would've told me already," Troy said, "Do you know how it makes me feel to know she doesn't trust in me?" _SLAP_ No one knew whether or not to gasp or be shocked at the aggressiveness Taylor was able to display when prompted. Troy's face whipped to the side with an angry stinging on his left cheek. Sharpay and Kelsi had to rush up to restrain the angry African American woman from doing any further damage.

"Troy Bolton you are-you're-UGH I don't even know the word!" Taylor fumed; Troy just looked back, still at shock that Taylor had slapped him. "Will you stop being so selfish for one second and think about Gabriella? Do you know how _she_ feels? Yes, she didn't tell you, but she didn't tell any of us! You were the first person she told besides her mom, and she _trusted_ you to believe in her, she thought you would listen to her, and give her advice only you could. Do you realize that when she transfers, you're not the only one she's leaving?" Taylor asked furiously. That sentence put a pause in everyone,

"She's leaving her _entire life_ behind her. It's the most difficult choice she's ever had to make. But when she saw you so upset, she put aside her own problems to help you, and what do you do? You slap it back right at her face, and _you're_ talking about trust?" Those words alone did more damage than Taylor's fists ever good. When Troy had found out Gabriella was about to transfer, his first realization was not the fact that she didn't tell him…but it was because he was losing her. It suddenly made it so definite, so final, that Troy was going to lose her. Even with her being a phone call away Troy couldn't hold onto her, how was he supposed to keep her if she was halfway around the world?

And-even though Troy wouldn't admit it out loud- the idea of living life without Gabriella scared him more than anything ever could.

"Um guys," Kelsi suddenly spoke up, "Did we just let a very angry and crying Gabriella drive back home?" there was a pregnant pause, and Sharpay ran up to Troy, and if she were a few inches taller, would've grabbed the collar of his shirt, but instead, she gripped the sleeve of his t-shirt. Regardless the effect was made none the less,

"Troy Bolton you better get you butt in your car, and make sure she's alright, or god forbid me find you," Sharpay hissed in a dangerous whisper, "Do I make myself clear?" It took a few seconds for Zeke to gently pry Sharpay from Troy, but in those few seconds, the real effect of Kelsi's softly spoken words got to him, and as soon as Sharpay's fingers uncurled from his shirt, Troy ran for his car, and his Audi was out of the parking lot just as quickly.

* * *

Gabriella was thinking irrationally, and in all honesty she knew that. She wasn't the type of person who would blow up for no reason, or run away from her best friend like that. But she did all of the above, and at the moment her mind didn't process anything further than the road ahead, and the tears the blurred her vision and made warm streaks down her cheeks.

"_Stupid, stupid Troy,"_ she mumbled to herself as she used the back of her hand to wipe another stray tear. She slowed down slightly as she started to reach a bit over a hundred kilometres. Maybe rushing off like that wasn't the best idea. After all, neither her nor Troy were in a particularly stable emotional state, and perhaps having an argument in a very public parking lot after Troy got benched for the last quarter of his semi finals wasn't the best of ideas. Drop by drop, fat rain droplets fell from the sky and splashed onto her car window. A late May shower came on, and Gabriella cursed her luck as her windshield wipers frantically wiped the offending liquid off her window. Add her puffy eyes and tears; this did not make a good driving situation.

Out of no where, an extra set of lights suddenly appeared in front of her. Panicking and not knowing what to do, Gabriella slammed her foot on the break, and her tires skidded against the drenched floors of the road, and her car swerved.

-

-

"_Stupid, stupid Troy!"_ his mind chided him as he drove his Audi onto the road. This was the quickest way to get from the arena to Gabriella's house, and if he couldn't intercept her here, then the best he could do was to stop her as she went home. As the rain poured harder his anxiety increased. He shouldn't have let her leave like that; he shouldn't have blamed her like he did. He should've listened to her, and act maturely. Troy should've done a lot of things but he couldn't now.

"_If she gets into an accident of any sort, you're going to feel guilty for life," _his mind chided him. That thought alone caused him to increase his speed. But as he increased speed and gained distance, swirling red lights caught his eye, and it wasn't until he got closer did he realize the front of the road was blocked off, and the light was caused by the turning bulb inside the police cars and ambulance that was there. Troy followed in an agonizing slow line as cars in front of him tried to squeeze past the accident. As he passed the accident, the sight of a silver car caught his eye, causing his hart to pound and his foot to slam on the break. The cars behind him honked loudly at his untimely stop, but Troy could care less. He shot out of his car, the rain drenching him in seconds as he made a beeline to the officer. The closer he got, the more familiar the silver car looked, his heart stopped when he saw a silver chain dangle from the front of the car. It was a necklace Troy had gotten for her a few years ago, it had a star and a heart shaped charm on it, but it had been too long. Gabriella had promised to hang it in her car,

"_Oh god no…"_ Troy began to repeat in his mind, His breathing went shallow. A police officer in a black, police poncho came up to him,

"Sir, sir you can't be here!" the officer shouted through the rain, Troy didn't look at him,

"T-The car…the accident who was it?" Troy asked in a breathless voice,

"Sir I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises!" the officer shouted again. Anger and frustration bubbled within Troy, sparked by the worry that was now reaching exploding point. Troy pushed his way through the tape and pylons that signalled the restricted area, but Troy didn't care. The closer he got the harder his heart pounded. He watched medics lift a stretcher with a petite body in it, a lock of dark hair falling off the side. Troy stopped breathing,

"Gabby…" Troy breathed, "Gabriella!" he pushed the officer aside, rushing to the stretcher, a third medic came to stop him a few feet away from the stretcher,

"Sir!"

"Let me through damn it!" Troy roared, "That's my best friend!"

"Sir I can't let you do that," the medic said,

"I need to get through!!"

"Do you know this woman?" the medic asked,

"Damn it yes I do she's my best friend!"

"You know Jennifer?" said another male voice. Both the medic and Troy turned around at the extra person. An older man came up with a sling on his arm came up to the pair. Troy blinked the water out of his eyes, "How do you know my wife?" the stranger asked, Troy blinked stupidly, lost for words,

"Troy?" called another voice, a softer voice, a voice he recognized, the voice of an angel…but not just any angel, _his_ angel. Troy turned around, ignoring the other two. Gabriella stood a few feet behind him, her hair was wet with rain, but she had a blue blanket wrapped around her. There weren't any visible cuts anywhere except for a tiny angry red mark by her forehead, but that was the most severe injury Troy saw. Of course Troy didn't spend that long looking at her either, because as soon as he saw her, standing there with her glorious brown eyes looking at him, he took two full strides towards her, and pulled her towards him in a crushing hug,

"Troy?" Gabriella squeaked from somewhere in his embrace. She felt her shivering against him, and didn't know if it was because she was crying or if it was because the both of them were out in the rain in the middle of the night,

"I'm sorry," Troy mumbled in her brown hair. It smelled like rain and her strawberry shampoo. It smelled like heaven, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I should've listened to you. I shouldn't have yelled at you, I should've been more understanding…I shouldn't have let you leave,"

"Troy I'm fine," Gabriella tried to assure him, but all he did was hold onto her tighter,

"I thought… I saw your car… then the stretcher and I though, god I thought you were hurt, and it would've been my fault," Troy admitted in a hoarse voice. Gabriella tried to laugh, but it came out as a sniff,

"I'm fine, I'm right here Troy," Gabriella said softly, Troy nodded and pulled away from her,

"I know you are," he said in all seriousness, "And I'm keeping it this way. I don't want you to leave me. I can't be alone, I can't live without you. Gabby I want you to stay…I want you to stay with me," Troy said strongly. The rain fell hard onto them, but neither paid much attention,

"I'm here, I'll always be here with you," Gabriella said,

"No, Gabby I want you to be _with_ me. I want you with me forever," Troy said, "Brie…I want you to stay, with me because I love you. I don't love you like a sister, or my friend, I love you," Troy said.

It's funny how people find their strength and courage in the oddest places. Some may find their courage on roller coasters as they go up, and wait for the impending drop, some may find strength and courage during school perhaps, when they have to go up in front of their student body. Or in this case, Troy and Gabriella found their courage in the middle of a rain storm, standing in the middle of an accident scene, in the middle of the road. And as Gabriella stood on her tippy toes, and pressed her lips against his in a sign of certainty, they wouldn't have changed it for the world.

* * *

**A/N: It's been a year since I started this story and more than a month since I've last updated. I'm so sorry! School and work is taking its toll on me. This is NOT the final chapter; I will be adding an epilogue (most likely next chapter). But on the bright side, I finally got them together right? I did some major changing in my plans, so it might not correspond exactly, but I still hope you enjoyed this. Hopefully I will find the time to write the final chapter and have it up before Halloween…hopefully. Review!**


	25. Epilogue

This is it! This is the last chapter of 'A Pinkie Promise'. After 25 chapters, and over 1000 reviews, we have finally come to an end, thank you so much for sticking with me through the journey, it's been an incredible pleasure to write for you guys, and I could not have asked for better reviewers and followers. You make writing so much more enjoyable!

People have asked me if I could dedicate a chapter to Troyella, and as much as I would love to, I had only planned for this story to go for 25 chapters, but honestly, this entire chapter will probably most likely be Troyella based.

**HSM3 premiered on October 24****th****. I went to see it on opening day (I saw the VERY FIRST opening show!!) and it was INCREDIBLE!! You thought it was awesome in the trailer, wait until you see it on the BIG SCREEN! It was amazing, and you'll love the Troyella moments. Let's make it a blockbuster hit!!**

* * *

_**A Pinkie Promise**_

_Chapter 25: A New Promise_

* * *

"Shar you're going to make a hole in your house soon, and I don't think that's the first thing Zeke wants to see after you guys get married," Chad said from his position on Sharpay's large and comfortable couch. The pacing blonde stopped for a millisecond to send an electrifying glare at the bushy haired man, before she resumed her circular pattern.

"We can always stick the bill on you," Zeke smirked, "At the rate Taylor's going," and the chef gestured at Chad's girlfriend who was also imitating Sharpay's actions, only she divided her time between pacing in circles and casting longing glances to the phone.

"Why hasn't he called yet? Do you think something happened?" Taylor asked worriedly, biting the bottom of her lip in anxiety,

"Maybe he forgot?" Kelsi offered,

"No, Troy wouldn't…not when it has to do with Gabriella," Sharpay shot the idea down in a heartbeat,

"Then why hasn't he called? It's been a full _day_! I knew we shouldn't have left the arena before they came back, we should've followed him!" Taylor growled, quickly changing from worried to angry. Out on instincts, Chad winced, and shuffled away from his moody girlfriend.

"Maybe they didn't have time to call," Ryan suggested, "It was pouring last night, and he probably took her home,"

"Besides, it's nine in the m-mor-morning Tay," Jason said through a terribly hidden yawn, "You and Shar called us over at eight, any sane man wouldn't be awake until noon, at least!" Like Chad, Jason was also subjected to a scathing glare, only this time, he managed to get the glare from both Sharpay _and _Taylor. Talk about a rough morning. It scared the life out of everyone when Sharpay-who only just sat down under Zeke's persuading-shot up before her seat was even warm,

"I _have_ to know, we're going to Troy's now!" Sharpay declared, with Taylor shooting up a second after her declaration, agreeing whole heartedly. When the girls saw no similar movement what so ever form the rest of the group, Sharpay narrowed her sharp brown eyes, her cherry lips forming a menacing growl, "I. Said. NOW."

That got them moving.

* * *

"…_**accident last night on the highway. Fortunately there was no casualty, only a minor injury between drivers of the vehicles. A twenty-nine year old woman was sent to the hospital for minor head injuries, and authorities has confirmed that it was not life threatening and is expecting a full recovery. Authorities have confirmed that it was simply an accident, and no alcohol or speeding was involved; only cautioning drivers to drive carefully during a storm. Stay tuned for Sports News coming up next."**_

Shadow sniffed at the strange, glowing black box that his humans seem to enjoy gathering around on a daily basis. The little puppy would never understand why it was so fascinating. The lights hurt his eyes if he got too close, and the booming noise would make his ears flatten on his head, why did humans living in the box speak more loudly than his own humans? Weird.

Wandering the big house, Shadow worked his way from the glowing box to the coffee table in the middle. Standing on his hind legs, his wet nose sniffed around a smaller, rectangular object. Humans always pointed that to the glowing box, and somehow, the box would flicker, and suddenly a different human would be on the screen. Why couldn't humans just make up their minds and stick to one person? Geez! The glowing box caught his attention again, and Shadow barked when a picture of his human Dad filled the screen

"_**Lakers win the semi finals by a thread but Chad Danfourth's last minute basket! Now you might be wondering why Lakers superstar, Troy Bolton wasn't the one to save the day. Lakers coach benched the rising athlete half way through the game, seems like it wasn't a good night for Bolton, only scoring a grand total of thirteen points in the entire game!" **_

The box started showing a bunch of straight lines in weird patterns his humans liked to call 'numbers' and the puppy quickly lost interest. Instead, Shadow trotted away from the black box. The picture of his human father was not a happy one. The little puppy thought that was weird, why wouldn't he be happy? Shadow thought his dad looked quite happy when he arrived home last night with his human mother. Sure they were soaking wet (Now they know why he hated baths so much!), but they were smiling, and had made weird faces to each other. Deciding to solve the mystery once and for all, Shadow headed for Troy's room and with a little whimper and tiny growl, used his nose to push the slightly ajar door and slipped through the crack it provided.

-

-

Gabriella began to come to, several rays of sunlight finally victorious at fighting through the drawn curtains, and hitting her face. She squeezed her eyes even tighter together to see if it would make the room go dark again. No such luck. Slowly, regretfully she opened her eyes, quickly adjusting to the brightly lit room. She groaned in a lazy way, taking in a deep breath.

Funny, she never realized the morning air would smell like a mix of coconut, a hint of over used Adidas cologne **(A/N: I LOVE Adidas Cologne)**, and the smell of a morning after a rain storm. She also never realized a bed would emit warmth, twitch under her, and wear a crumpled white wife beater.

Throughout the night, their position had changed, and now Gabriella was using half of Troy's back as her bed, and he was laying face down, his head cocked to the side in a serene picture of relaxation. Gabriella had to smile as she rested her head on the Troy's back once more. Now this was a bed she wouldn't mind waking up on every morning…well maybe not bed…more like on Troy. Troy could have the bed. She held in a giggle as she carefully adjusted her head so that she was now lying on his left shoulder, just under his slumbering face. She could feel the waft of air ruffling the top of her head as he breathed in and out peacefully. Looking at the door, she saw Shadow walking into the room, his tiny padded foot making its way over to the bed,

"No Shadow," Gabriella whispered ever so quietly. Gabriella knew her little puppy heard it, because his ears twitched, but (like Troy) innocently ignored it leaped onto the bed (a great feat for a dog his size), and found a comfortable spot between her and Troy's intertwined legs. Sighing, Gabriella gave up, and relaxed into her position on Troy's back. It took less than thirty seconds of Troy's rhythmic breathing and comfortable warm to lull her back to sleep. Neither human nor canine noticed a car pulling up to the front of the large house half an hour later. Shadow's ears twitched at the foreign noise that did not belong to his home, but dismissed it for dreams of bones and giving his human parents a hard time at bath time.

-

-

Inside the van in which Zeke was the driver, Sharpay in the passenger seat, Chad, Taylor, Kelsi, Ryan and Jason behind them, they pulled up to Troy's large house. Sharpay reached over to punch in the access code which Troy had given each of them the day he bought his house ("No point in not giving it to you," Troy had said), and drove up the drive way,

"How are we supposed to get in when we don't have keys," Chad suddenly piped up, remembering one important, but forgotten detail.

"You remember now?" Jason asked, "After Zeke nearly _killed_ us running that red light?"

"Hey Shar said we were in a hurry!" the chef defended himself,

"And you shouldn't be talking Jase," Kelsi giggled, "Last time you drove you nearly ran into a tree," and while the chef high fived Kelsi, and smirked, Jason had nothing to say except glare at the petite musician.

"Ok kids calm down," Ryan rolled his eyes good naturedly, assuming his role as big brother again,

"And don't worry, I know where Troy keeps his keys," Taylor smirked. The group of seven filed out of the van, and approached the grand doors of the house. Taylor knelt down, and lifted the 'Welcome' mat that Chad had gotten Troy a few years ago ("To make it homier," Chad explained), and after a few seconds of looking around, stood back up again with a triumphant smile, and a silver key dangling in her hands,

"You'd think a basketball star would know not to do that anymore," Sharpay said, taking a break from her worrying and breaking out a small smile, Taylor smiled, and inserted the keys, and opening the door. Quietly, the gang made their way through the house.

-

-

Gabriella didn't know how she had slept for after waking up, but it couldn't have been more than an hour. Groaning, and digging her face deeper into Troy's wife beater, there was a type of buzzing around her ears that she couldn't get rid of.

"Aw isn't that cute?"

"Oh I need my camera, Zeke where's my phone?"

"Dude about time!"

"Chad shut up!"

"You shut up!"

"Both of you shut up,"

"Maybe we should leave? It's sort of invading their privacy,"

"Kels stop being so nice,"

"Beside it's Troy's fault for leaving his keys there,"

"And giving us the access code,"

"Oh Shar we should get those printed!"

"Do you think we should wake them up?"

"I'm already awake," Gabriella groaned into Troy's back, silencing the gang that was currently surrounding Troy's bed. She opened one eye to observe her friends. Sharpay stood poised with her pink and jewel encrusted cell phone in hand, no doubt snapping away at pictures with Zeke behind her, holding her unnecessary large bag. Taylor smiled in happiness, but had a smug little smile on her face, the same smile Gabriella had seen in high school when Taylor had proved the other team wrong. Ryan currently stood between Jason and Chad, and had a brotherly smile on his face. Kelsi ended their line of friends, the musician had a delicate blush on her face (always the sensible one), but offered a congratulatory smile.

"Comfortable there Gabby?" Chad winked, and Gabriella glared softly at him,

"Very much, and it would've been nice to stay that way a bit longer," Gabriella replied in a hushed voice, and Chad snickered loudly "I'm going to kill you if you wake Troy up,"

"He woke Troy up," came a mumbling below her. Their attention turned to the supposedly sleeping figure below on the bed, and Gabriella slid off him and onto the unoccupied side of the bed, "That didn't mean you had to get off," Troy mumbled in a tired voice, a small smile on his face. Gabriella only blushed while Chad, Zeke and Jason whooped and slapped Troy on the shoulder with a 'you go man'. Troy tried to decide whether or not to stay in bed longer or to get up. When Gabriella's body disappeared from his side, and a waft of cold air washed over the warmth of her body, Troy decided it wasn't much of a choice, and proceeded to stretch the sleep out of his muscles.

"Why are you in my house so early? And how the hell did you get in?" Troy asked in a grumpy morning manner, he paused and glared sharply at Chad, "Did you pick my lock _again_?"

"That was one time dude!" Chad defended, "Taylor kicked me out what was I supposed to do?"

"Plus you showed Tay where you hid your spare keys," Ryan interrupted in a calm voice, Gabriella turned around,

"Hid your spare keys?" she asked in a calm voice, something that scared Troy even more, "And where exactly did you hide them?"

"Um…well, I mean that is to say…its right there and I thought, you know, just in case…"

"It's under the mat outside the door," Sharpay piped in cheerfully. Her smile brightened, her previous worries forgotten when Troy shot her a deeper glare. Troy looked to Gabriella, his blue eyes softening and pleading in an effort to appease her. Gabriella only shot him a 'This isn't over look',

"I'm going to get changed," Gabriella announced aloud, gesturing to a pair of sweats and a long t-shirt that once belonged to Troy. She walked out to leave her boyfriend (her heart fluttered at the word she was finally able to use) to the mercy of their friends.

-

-

After getting changed into her appropriate attire (a pair of jeans she usually left over and another one of Troy's large t-shirt, she opted for one of his older jerseys), Gabriella rejoined their group of friends in the living room. Chad took up his customary spot on the large spread sofa, remote already poised at hand and flicking through the various channels. Taylor, Sharpay and Kelsi were surrounding Shadow, and it was obvious the black puppy enjoyed the extra female attention, his tiny tail wagging like crazy, and his little pink tongue sliding in and out in an effort to gain more attention from the ladies as he wiggled his black nose (_"Like father like…dog," _Gabriella smirked). Zeke, Jason and Ryan each took up a spot at the high stool chairs in front of the counter just talking normally. Finally, her eyes landed on Troy, who was sprawled out on the second large couch, still in shorts, but had the decency to change into a t-shirt. Apparently, he failed against the battle with his wild hair, and odd strands of brown locks stuck out oddly.

Gabriella couldn't have wished for a better picture.

Troy could feel her eyes on him. Actually, he had always been able to feel when she was looking for, or looking at him. There was also this pleasant feeling tingle that ran down his spine, and his heart with pump even louder, and he'd turn with anticipation to meet her brown eyes. Only this time, the effects were much stronger, and he no longer wondered why his heart would jump and fly every time that tingle ran down his back. Slowly he turned from his position on the couch, and ended up on his stomach, his blue eyes peering up at her through bangs. They shared a smile.

"Aw look at them, it makes me sick," Chad joked, breaking the moment, he winced when Taylor smacked him on the arm,

"You're such an insensitive jerk, I don't know what I see in you," Taylor glared. Chad only winked, and pulled her close to him and kissed her on the cheeks in reply. The rest of the group laughed well naturedly,

"Well I'm hungry, where can we eat?" Troy announced, sitting up. Gabriella took her automatic spot next to him, and he reached out and cradled her against him. He marvelled at how well they fit together.

"I say we go to a buffet! To celebrate Troy and Gabby breaking their stubbornness," Chad declared,

"It's almost ten thirty, we're not eating a buffet at ten thirty," Sharpay countered

"I want something light, nothing too heavy," Gabriella said thoughtfully, the girls nodding in agreement,

"We can always go to that garden place we took mom and dad and Isabella to last time, the one with all the fancy fruits and salad," Troy suggested, Gabriella beamed at him and didn't hesitate to kiss him on the cheeks,

"Sure, go with her idea," Chad grumbled jokingly,

"We need to get dressed, give us one second," Gabriella said, bouncing up, and pulling Troy up with her. They automatically intertwined their fingers until Troy reached his bedroom and Gabriella reached her guest room,

"You two look like you've been dating for years instead of a few hours!" shouted Zeke. Inside their respective rooms, Troy and Gabriella grinned at the comment.

Maybe they have been dating for years…they just didn't notice it until now.

* * *

"You know even with a new Broadway show debut, I haven't seen this many flashing lights since…"

"Last week?" Chad interrupted Sharpay. The gang were currently all cluttered around a large table for nine in a private room while employees continued to set up screens to block the group from the windows. Outside, flashes of cameras went off as the paparazzi continued to attempt to take snapshots of what was going to be 'the hottest new couple' as quoted by a magazine they had seen on the way to breakfast.

"Thank my coach for benching me yesterday," Troy muttered, rolling his eyes as he scanned carelessly through the menu. Gabriella sat next to him, leaning closer towards him not only because she wanted to stay close, but because she wanted to stay close to him and awayfrom her invaded privacy. Noticing her discomfort, Troy put the menu down, and looked at her, placing a hand on his lap. Almost immediately Gabriella's own hand round a spot on his, playing with his palm, sliding her hand up his, until their fingers locked together,

"You ok?" he whispered softly, Gabriella nodded,

"Fine,"

"You sure?"

"Very sure, don't worry Troy;" Gabriella said, smiling softly, her other hands closed her menu, "I'm ready to order,"

"Me too," Troy said automatically right after. That broke the ice as the group laughed, and exploded into exclamations of 'you never looked at a menu since Gabby could read' and 'next time, don't even bother asking for one'. After their food was delivered by a slightly shell shocked and stuttering waiter (Poor Sharpay had to hide her face in Zeke's shoulder to stop herself from bursting out laughing), the gang settled in a calm dynamic, eating and passing casual conversation.

"Do you realize how quickly your relationship will turn public?" Ryan suddenly said, looking up from his plate of Caesar salad, drowning what was a relatively light atmosphere. Gabriella's fork paused on her fruit salad, the fork half way in a strawberry. Troy took a glance at the brunette next to him to find her frozen and his mind went into his natural panic mode,

"_What if she didn't think of that? What if she doesn't want that and just breaks up with me?"_ Troy suddenly lost his appetite for the buttered bagel and soup in front of him.

After their breakfast, the rest of the gang excused themselves for various reasons. Taylor had some marking to do, Chad and Jason both complained about the early ("and completely unnecessary," Chad added) wake up call and claimed to have some sleep to catch on. Ryan was expected back at the theatre for some last minute directing, and Sharpay had pulled Zeke away to work on the finalization of their wedding which was set to take place in mid July, exactly half a month (or two weeks)from now, thus leaving the new couple alone.

Troy and Gabriella drove around until they ended up back at Troy's house, where they then decided to take Shadow out for a walk since it had been a while since both of them had spent time with the dog together. Parking at a nearby park, they unhooked the leash from Shadow's collar, and picking up a tennis ball they brought along with them, Troy began tossing it out to the empty field, the tiny black puppy becoming a black speck as it happily chased the flying sphere.

Gabriella and Troy sat in silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying each other's company, and taking turn throwing the ball.

"Do you…you mind the whole paparazzi thing don't you?" Troy said after a couple of minutes, his eyes trained forward, not daring to look at her. Gabriella paused,

"I can't say I like it,"

"And you can't really escape from it if you go out with me," Troy said slowly, almost dejectedly, "Kind of hard escaping the lime light when you're with me," Being best friends for nineteen years did not come without benefits and skills. It may take a stranger a few days to figure out Troy's disappointment in his voice, but almost immediately, Gabriella knew what he was saying,

"Troy, I got this kind of attention when I was just your best friend. All of us knows what it's going to take to keep our friendship, we know the risks, we know the consequences and we deal with it, that's why we've been able to stay friends," Gabriella said, "I do hate the paparazzi, I think it's a big violation to someone's privacy, but that's not going to make me leave you, or distance myself away from you,"

"This isn't the same as when your were my best friend," Troy countered, "You are my best friend, you always will be, and even then everything that happened to you I take personally…but this is different…if it was that bad when we were rumoured to be together…how bad is it going to be when it's official? I don't want my life to disrupt yours…that's not how a relationship is supposed to be," Troy grinned sheepishly at Gabriella's giggle and raised eyebrow, "Or at least…that's not how I think a relationship should be,"

"You're such a softy," Gabriella giggled, and reached up and kissed him, "That's what I love about you…and don't worry Troy, I'm a big girl…I can deal with it…besides it seems like you don't mind it, I mean it took two days for you and Melanie to go public," Troy smirked when he thought he heard a lace of jealousy in her voice, but softened his smirk under her glare,

"I didn't want to," he admitted, "Melanie insisted on it though, said that it'd be easier that way, since her brother was also on the team, it made sense to me then, but I never really liked it, I mean…kind of hard to keep a relationship if there are a hundreds sites blogging about what we ate for breakfast,"

"I'm glad we're on the same page then," Gabriella smiled up at him, "Don't worry, we'll get through this, we got through nineteen years haven't we?" Troy began to smile softly down at her, his heart being placed at ease. He leaned down to capture her lips in a sweet but short kiss, as the ringing of her cell phone cut the moment short,

"Ignore it," Troy grumbled childishly against her lips, Gabriella giggled, leaning up to close the distance again, but pulled back quickly, causing Troy to nearly lose his balance, his forehead losing its leaning post.

"Hello?" Gabriella stuck her tongue out at him when he made a grumpy, pouting face at her, and giggled, "Oh sorry no, I was just—never mind, Oh…oh alright…no it's no problem…I'll see you then…ok bye," Gabriella looked up with an apologetic smile,

"Something wrong?" Troy asked worriedly,

"I have to go to the hospital…um…Rachel has some information package for me about…um about Europe," Gabriella said softly. The happy feeling bubbling in Troy began to dim a bit, and even when Shadow dropped the now soggy tennis ball against his shoe, he paid no notice,

"Oh,"

"I'm sorry…"

"No, c'mon it's time we left anyway, I'll drop you off," Troy said, standing up and straightening his t-shirt. He picked the tennis ball up and clicked his tongue, making Shadow trot alongside him, sad that the game of fetch was over. Gabriella attached the leash to Shadow's collar once more before they drove out of the park,

"Call me to pick you up alright?" Troy asked, Gabriella nodded, noticing the slight sadness in his eyes,

"I love you," Gabriella said, Troy softened, and smiled, hugging her quickly,

"Love you too, now go and remember to call," he chided, Gabriella smiled, nodded and left. Troy watched her until she disappeared in the elevator and sighed, looking back at the puppy who sat at the back seat, "So…what do you want for lunch?"

-

-

"It's quite simple really, so do you have any questions? Gabriella? Gabriella?" Rachel snapped her fingers in front of the brunette whose eyes had been stuck on one section for five minutes. Gabriella snapped out of her daze

"Sorry what was the question?"

"Gabriella are you alright? You seem like you can't concentrate, is something wrong?" Rachel asked,

"No I just…I guess I have a lot on my mind," Gabriella sighed,

"About the trip?" Rachel asked, when she didn't answer Rachel asked again, "Boy problems?"

"Um…both?" Gabriella admitted, "It's nothing…don't worry about it, so um when's the date I leave?"

"Mid July…about two weeks from now,"

* * *

"What do you mean you can't come to _my wedding_?" Sharpay shrieked. The entire household echoed with her voice, and if one looked outside, they probably would've seen a flutter of birds flying away from the tree outside. Gabriella winced, and shrank in the chair she was sitting in, while the blonde shot into the air, her blonde hair in a frenzy and her brown eyes blazing,

"I…can't?" Gabriella said weakly,

"Why can't you? It's the most important day of my life! You're my Maid of Honour! You have to be there, you promised!"

"I know, and I'm really sorry, I want to be there, I really do but…but my plane leaves on the same day in the morning," Gabriella sighed,

"I'll fly you on a private plane!" Sharpay demanded,

"Shar…"

"No I'll do that if that's what it's going to take," Sharpay sat down, "Gabby…it's my wedding…you have to be at my wedding…it's the most important day of my life, you can't miss it,"

"I know…but this is the only plane the university covers…and the hospital in Europe is all about punctuality…I won't make a good impression if I don't get there on time… they won't let me in if I'm late,"

"Gabriella…"

"Look I talked to Tay…she said if you don't mind she can take my spot as Maid of Honour…I just can't be late or I won't get in," Gabriella said, "I'm sorry…"

"Have you told Troy?" Sharpay asked, Gabriella shook her head,

"I…I haven't," the brunette looked down, wringing her hands, "his championship is a day before the flight…I'm going to go watch him play…then talk to him,"

"It's a long distance relationship," Sharpay pointed out as gently as possible, or at least a gently as a person could be when they found out their Maid of Honour couldn't make it. Gabriella didn't answer, but made a nod to show she had acknowledged the fact, "Hey both you and Troy are strong together, it'll work out," Sharpay said soothingly, and to that, Gabriella had no answer.

* * *

A lot of things happened in the two weeks. Life managed to fall back into normal daily routines, with the exception that Troy was now Gabriella's boyfriend, and he would smirk, and kiss her every time he claimed Gabriella was being jealous when any girl came up to him ("I am not jealous!" Gabriella would deny, which would then lead to a few minutes of teasing, and Troy kissing her).

To counter that, Gabriella had equal amount of fun telling _him_ he was jealous every time a male doctor came up to her. Troy was the one who dropped her off and picked her up from work every day ("There goes the need for my car," she had joked), and often times he would go into the hospital to find her. And every time he came, a doctor would be talking with Gabriella, and Troy would go into jealous mode. As soon as they were in the safety of his car, Gabriella would tease him endlessly, and he would grumble in a childish manner, not exactly denying it, but god forbid him admit he was jealous.

Aside from that, the two spent their first week as a couple with each other as much as possible. The transition from being best friends to being boyfriend and girlfriend was surprisingly easy, if not effortless. They were still the best of friends, only now, they were even closer, and approaching levels and grounds they never would've dared when they had just been best friends. Perhaps their friends were right, and that unofficially, they had been dating each other for much longer. Regardless, Troy was the perfect boyfriend. He would drop her off at work, and pick her up, and sometimes surprising her by taking her to a fancy restaurant on a date. But Gabriella liked the moments when they were together at his house or her house the best. One of them would cook dinner (mostly Gabriella, but sometimes it would be the both of them), and Troy would set a blanket on the floor, and they would have an impromptu picnic.

Come the second week, Troy began to be laden with practices for the upcoming championships, and Gabriella was getting ready for her departure from the life she's always known. Aside from that, she continued to help Sharpay get ready for her wedding. As the date approached, the blonde was beginning to shed her hard, confident appearance, freaking out at the simplest things, and coming up with 'what if' scenarios. It took the best of the girls from the group, plus Anne to calm the blonde down.

The day before Sharpay's wedding was Troy and Chad's championships, and Gabriella, Kelsi, Taylor and Anne nearly dragged Sharpay against her will to the arena,

"You need to calm down tonight," Kelsi said as they pushed Sharpay down onto the seat in the front row,

"Just stop thinking about the wedding," Gabriella said,

"How can I? It's my wedding!" Sharpay shrieked,

"It'll be perfect, you spent months on it," Taylor assured her,

"Besides, you don't want to get wrinkles if you're worrying this much, there's only so much foundation can cover," Anne added winking. That managed to calm Sharpay's freaking out. The girls were joined by the guys a few moments later with popcorn, drinks and the occasional pretzels,

"Do any of you know the announcement Troy's making today?" asked Jason, which translated to 'if Gabriella knew'. Gabriella shrugged,

"I don't know…he wouldn't tell me,"

"Oh maybe he's getting promoted or something," Anne shrugged, the rest of the gang could only guess, as the horn in the arena suddenly sounded, indicating the beginning of the championships.

**(A/N: I'm not going to be spending a lot of time on the game, it's not that important, you can use your imagination :)) **

With one minute left on the clock, and tied for 87, the LA Lakers dribbled and pushed through the court with their might. Troy's hair was completely matted with sweat, and his body glistened with the hot arena lights. The gang on the sidelines kept their eyes trained on their friends. A pass, toss, block, fake left another pass, dribble, double teaming and Troy lost the ball. The crowd groaned as the ball was sent down the other way. Troy and Chad chased after the opposing team with the ball. Like the best friends they were, Chad and Troy seemed to have read each other's mind, and fluidly switched positions, Chad gained speed, his track and field training paying off, and managed to cut off the player with the ball. Doing a double take, the opposing player tried to look for an open man, he passed the ball to a teammate to his left, and Troy appeared out of no where, snatching the ball out of the air…only to be knocked down just as quickly by a opposing player. Troy fell onto the floor hard.

Gabriella's gasp was lost amongst the gasp of the rest of the arena, and she was not the only one who shot up. The ref blew his whistle for a time out, and penalty, and Chad helped Troy up who tried to hide his wince. The ref spoke with both teams for a brief second, and judging by the angry and animated motions the other team was making, it was clear they did not like the result. Regardless, the arena exploded into cheers as the ball was given to Troy for a penalty shot. Walking to the middle of the court, and dribbling the ball a couple times, Troy's eyes turned to meet Gabriella's, and she gave him a smile. Smiling back, Troy refocused himself, and took his shot…and the Lakers led by one point with a swish of the basket.

Now it was just a game of keeping the ball away from the other team. With the Lakers leading 88-87, and thirty seconds on the clock, the Lakes executed perfect manoeuvres of passing the ball around, never keeping the ball with one person for more than a couple of seconds. Ten seconds, and Chad had the ball and (to the gang's surprise), passed it to Michael Goldstrem. Michael held the ball for a couple of seconds. Four seconds on the clock, and the crowd was cheering loudly, and Michael passed the ball to Troy, who held the ball protectively. Two seconds, Troy faked a left, and bounced the ball to Chad, who caught it as the bell rang for the end of the game. This time, the entire crowd shot out of their seats as they watched their home team take home the championships. Excited beyond belief, Gabriella left her seat, and forgetting herself, ran onto the court where Troy was surrounded by his teammates. Whether it was because they knew she was Troy's girlfriend or because they never had a spectator run on stage, the team parted in time for Troy to catch his running girlfriend, twirling her and bringing her feet off the ground. In a fluid motion, he bent down and captured her lips in a long kiss. Their eyes closed, they were _almost_ able to block out the millions of camera flashes.

Gabriella pulled away as red as a tomato, but Troy only smiled, keeping a hand around her waist even when the large screen above focused on the pair. There were people who sighed at the sweetness, and some girls who seethed with jealousy. Troy glanced over at his coach, and nodded. His coach nodded back with a regretful smile, and sent someone over with a microphone. Gabriella watched in confusion as Troy cleared his throat on the microphone, the speakers amplifying it by ten times, and the crowd silenced,

"Thank you for coming tonight, it was a great game," Troy began, "No, scratch that, we had an awesome season! And it's all because of this team right here," the Lakers whooped, "I've been on this team for a few years already, and I don't regret it, but I've made the decision to try something new, I'm not leaving the basketball career, it's been my life…but I've decided to leave the team," there was a unison gasp, and Gabriella turned to look at him with wide eyes, "I've accepted the offer to go to England for a two year camp training," he paused to let the information set in, but it was also for his friends and Gabriella to make the instant connection,

"My coach has promised me a spot after I return…or after I find out it's too hard and decide to quit and come back," Troy chuckled softly, "But regardless, this is my decision, and I just want to thank everyone for all their support and for them to keep supporting the Lakers, thank you," and he handed the microphone away, and turned to lock eyes with Gabriella's shocked ones. No words escaped her opened mouth, simply because she couldn't piece a proper sentence together.

"I meant it, it's my choice, and you'd have to tie me to a chair for me not to follow you," Troy said in his normal voice, closing in their distance so she could hear him over the loud din of the crowd. Gabriella couldn't say anything, and even if she had something to say, nothing would've came out because her throat was so tight with tears, so instead, she flung herself at him, and buried her face in his neck.

-

-

"_You're sure about this?"_

"I'm sure Tay,"

"_I'm happy for you, she's going to kill you though you know that?"_

"I know, look I have to go, thanks for doing this, ok I will bye," and Gabriella ended her conversation with Taylor, turning around to see Troy bringing two glasses of red wine to their spot on their couch. Shadow was lazily following him, and couldn't wait to snuggle in between the two of them. Setting the glasses down, Troy sat down next to her, pulling her to him, and allowing Shadow a spot on his lap,

"I hope you're not trying to get me drunk," Gabriella teased,

"Hey you might get a hangover, and miss your flight tomorrow, I don't see the bad in that," Troy grinned, to that Gabriella's smile dropped,

"Troy…tonight, what you did…"

"I told you, I wanted to do it," Troy said sternly, "Don't go feeling guilty about it,"

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me," Gabriella said softly, closing her hands in his, "And I appreciate it,"

"Then it's settled…look your flight's tomorrow morning…this…it's our last night together before I can get a ticket…let's just enjoy it," Troy said softly, now letting his heart feel heavy, "Sharpay's going to kill you for not being at her wedding,"

"_She'll probably have another reason by tomorrow,"_ Gabriella thought to herself, instead, she reached up and kissed him.

* * *

"Where's my veil? My hair it's a mess!! No don't I can't sit, I can't wrinkle this dress!" Sharpay was hyperventilating. This was the day she would become Sharpay Baylor, and she was stressing out an hour before her beach theme wedding. The gown she wore was elegant, and clung to all her curves, showing off her petite waist and delicate bones. The dress had a strap that went around her neck, and clinging to her waist, down to her hip, all the way down her legs until mid thigh, when it spread out, making a cloud of white when she twirled around. **(A/N: If you saw 'Enchanted' it's the same purple dress Giselle wore at the final dance except it's white)** Her silk veil was held up by a Swarovski crystal crown, courtesy of her parents.

"Shar, sit still or I'm really going to tie you down," Taylor ordered, Sharpay sat on the edge of the bed,

"I'm going to kill Zeke for doing this to me!" she threatened. Too bad he wasn't doing any better,

-

-

"Maybe we should splash water on him that might wake him up"

"Dude, oh c'mon fainting is so not a manly thing to do,"

"I don't think crowding him like that is going to help,"

"Here let me do something," Troy cleared his throat, clearing Jason, Chad and Ryan out of the way (all who, by the way, were looking very handsome in their suits and tie) and approached the fainted groom, clearing his throat once more, Troy leaned next to Zeke's ears, and said loudly,

"WHOA look at Sharpay in that dress!" Zeke shot up and out of unconsciousness to hear Chad, Jason and Ryan's uncontrollable laughter. He turned and saw Troy smirk, "I see what you're thinking about," Troy teased,

"Sharpay will never let me live it down if she knew I fainted before the wedding," Zeke groaned, fixing his suit and standing up carefully. He would never admit to the guys (ever) that even now he still felt a little nauseous.

"Alright, so car's out front, we should head out and get to the beach," Ryan said, Zeke nodded, fixing his teal colour tie that matched his white tux. The guys marched to the car, where Ryan ignited the engine, and began to pull out of the driveway. Halfway down the street, Chad was patting his pocket,

"Dude what are you doing?" Jason asked,

"Troy you have the rings right?" Chad asked, Troy blanched,

"You said you were going to hold it for me, because I had to change," Troy said slowly, Ryan stopped the car, and Zeke turned around, his face pale,

"Ok, ok no need to panic, I'm sure... it's…here somewhere…deep pockets…" Chad mumbled, taking his jacket off and flipping it upside down,

"Uh…where are the rings?"

-

-

After a frantic search of the house, the guys managed to arrive at the beach five minutes before the girls did. Standing there poised (and no sign of having to turn Zeke's house upside down), Zeke graciously greeted his family and friends, while the rest of the guys hung back.

"Are you alright?" Chad asked Troy who was standing there, flipping and playing with his cell phone; Troy looked at his best friend and smiled,

"I'm fine," he said, "It's a great day today, let's not ruin it," the waves splashed on the sandy shores, gracing the air with a humid yet comfortable breeze. All too soon, they had to ask the guests and family to take their seats as they led Zeke to the front of the altar where a priest stood. Zeke began to wring his hands nervously,

"Chill man," Troy the best man said, "It'll be perfect, she'll walk down, look gorgeous and you'd be so busy wondering how someone like you found someone like her you'll forget to be nervous,"

"Not the best speech you've given," Zeke grinned, "but thanks," The crowd hushed to a silence when Ryan left the group of boys and made his way to the piano. He grinned to his parents and guests before he sat down in front of the grand piano Sharpay had delivered. His right foot tested the pedals below as his left foot rested against the soft sandy beach. Taking a glance at Zeke who nodded with a set jaw, Ryan began to play, his fingers dancing across the keys.

The entire crowd began to applause and stood up row by row as Sharpay made her entrance in her dress. Troy was right, Zeke had already forgotten to breathe, let alone get nervous. Sharpay had a brilliant smile on her face as she made her way to towards her soon to be husband. Taylor, being the impromptu maid of honour, followed behind with a bouquet, with Anne behind her, and Kelsi ended the line of bridesmaids. A few minutes later, Sharpay stood next to Zeke facing him, while Taylor, Anne and Kelsi took their respective spots in front of Troy, Chad, and Jason.

"Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to witness the joining of two people who love each other dearly, and are ready to approach the next chapter of their young lives and to create the first chapter of a life together…" the priest said in a slow, peaceful voice. Troy began to zone out as he stood besides Zeke. He wondered where Gabriella was, she would be on a plane by now…leaving for England to pursue her studies. The closest tickets he could find was in two weeks, and Troy didn't know if he could survive not seeing her for two weeks. He was so out of it, he didn't register the slight shuffle from the line across from him, and managed to get himself back to reality in time to hear the priest say "And do you Sharpay Ashley Evans take him, Zeke ChristopherBaylor as your lawfully wedded husband?"

I do's were exchanged, and soon Troy's cue was up as the priest said "The rings please". Zeke turned around, and Troy handed him the silver band with an encouraging smile, but everything froze he heard Sharpay gasp.

"Gabriella!" Sharpay gasped as she turned around. She had fully expected Taylor to hand her the ring, but instead, Gabriella Montez stood in front of her, her brunette locks curled and tied up in an elegant French knot, wearing a beautiful, dark green strapless dress. The top hugged her body like a corset, until it reached down to her knees where it ended, however, the back continue to trail down, landing softly on the sandy beach in a train. "You're supposed to be on a plane!" she squeaked,

"And yet I'm not," Gabriella smiled, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. Sharpay squealed loudly, hugging Gabriella with an accompanied 'I'm going to kill you'. Gabriella laughed, "Ok we can do this later, but you have a wedding to finish." And she placed the silver band in Sharpay's hands. Grinning, Sharpay nodded, and turned to Zeke. The two of them joined hands as they exchanged their rings, and as the priest pronounced them husband and wife, Sharpay Baylor burst out crying, and sealed their status with a kiss. Behind Zeke, Troy's eyes met with Gabriella, a stunned sort of look on his face.

Ryan began playing again, as Zeke and Sharpay Baylor led the way down the aisle as a newly wedded couple. Behind them, Troy joined with Gabriella, Chad joined with Taylor, Jason with Anne and Ryan with Kelsi as they made their way down the beach. Soon after, while guests were busy clambering the new couple, Troy gently dragged Gabriella aside,

"You're supposed to be on a plane," Troy said, looking down at her, drinking in her exquisite beauty while trying to make sense of the situation all at once. Gabriella nodded,

"Are you disappointed?"

"Hell no!" he exclaimed, then blushed when she giggled, "but…your transfer…if you don't show up you'll lose your spot,"

"Well then I guess I'm just destined to stay here," Gabriella said, "Maybe I'm just not supposed to fly half way across the world to be away from you…and the gang."

"No, you belong right here, with me," Troy declared. He ran a finger down the side of her face, to which Gabriella closed her eyes, "Promise me you'll stay,"

"Promise,"

"Pinkie promise?" Troy said. Gabriella's eyes opened, a smile threatening to show on her face,

"I can't make that promise if we already have one going," Gabriella said, blushing softly, to that Troy smirked, as he pulled out a velvet box, Gabriella gasped, "Troy…I…I don't think we're ready, we've only been together for a couple of weeks, I—"

"Brie, I know," Troy interrupted softly, "And I'm not asking you to marry me…not that I don't intend to in the future," he winked, he opened the velvet box and Gabriella found a beautiful silver band with a beautiful blue quartz in the middle, "I still want you to marry me one day, but you're right, we're not ready. This is a promise ring; you put it on your right hand, third finger, until we're ready to switch it to the left hand.

"I just want you to know I do intend on fulfilling the pinkie promise we made when we were ten," Troy said, "and if you're willing to let me…I'd be honoured if you wore this," he placed the box in her hand, waiting for her answer. A second later, Gabriella gave it back to him, stopping his world cold,

"I don't care if it's a wedding ring or a promise ring…I don't think I should be the one to put it on myself," Gabriella declared in a shaky voice. Learning to breathe again, Troy took the ring out of the velvet cushioning, took Gabriella's right hand, and slipped the ring down her middle finger, making it glisten under the sun. Squealing, Gabriella laughed, and launched herself at Troy, making him twirl her around. Setting her down, Troy leaned forward to kiss her, hugging her tightly.

They became friends at the age of four, and maintained a friendship for nineteen years. At the age of ten, they made a promise neither had understood at the time. At the age of twenty four, they had yet to fulfill that promise.

But as Troy and Gabriella linked hands and rejoined their group of friends, it wasn't the lingering, fourteen year old promise that brought the radiant smiles on their faces, but the lulling assurance of a new promise.

* * *

**A/N: And so ends a Pinkie Promise!! See, Gabriella didn't leave! They're together! I didn't write how they ended up, but most of you can guess, I will leave their future in your hands. Thank you so much for following me in this incredible journey; it's been a pleasure to write for you all. If you haven't seen HSM3 yet, you HAVE to see it, its epic!!**

**Don't worry; this isn't the end of me yet. My writing days for HSM isn't over yet! I've actually got two plot bunnies going right now, one of them is a short story, and one is a longer, period drama. Let me know how you think!!**

_**Forbidden  
**__'Gabby you cannot be with him!' 'He is no different from us-' 'He is poor!' 'I love him!' 'You will have nothing!' In a tale of class, betrayal and forbidden love, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez are about to do the impossible: to be together._

_**Before Happily Ever After  
**__'There never had to be a 'happily ever after', but there's always something before it' Troy and Gabriella Bolton married at 18, and started a family at 20. Like every couple, they wanted their fairy tale ending, like every fairy tale, it won't be easy TXG_

_**Before Happily Ever After**_** is my short story, and it takes place around time zone of The Great Depression.**

_**Forbidden**_** is my period drama, taking place around the early 1900s.**


End file.
